July 6, 2021

Treaty 1 Territory, Homeland of the Métis Nation, Winnipeg MB— Today NDP Education Critic Nello Altomare stood with a Winnipeg teacher to reveal that the PC board responsible for overseeing the implementation of Bill 64 is entirely hand-picked political appointees. Through a Freedom of Information Request, the Manitoba NDP has discovered that there isn’t a single educator in the PCs Education Transformation Management Board.

“Parents and educators don’t trust the PCs to do what’s best for Manitoba’s kids” said Altomare. “Instead of listening to the experts, the PCs are relying on hand-picked political appointees to overhaul public education in our province and that’s wrong. They’re creating a black box education system so they can avoid transparency and accountability while they make cuts to our schools. The PCs need to put the brakes on their plans and listen to the vocal majority of Manitobans who are fighting bill 64.”

Education Minister Cliff Cullen’s calendar shows a reoccurring weekly meeting of the “Transformation Management Board.” The Board is dominated by non-elected participants who are partisan political staff, hand-picked by the PC government. At a press conference last month, the Education Minister said the PC government was working on the transition to the new Bill 64 governance model months before the record number of Manitobans have a chance to make their voice heard at Committee.

“It’s clear that Bill 64 is designed to put all the decision-making power about our schools and our students into the hands of partisan committees who report to PC politicians,” said Winnipeg teacher, Stacey. “This will lead to more cuts to our classrooms and it will hurt the students who face the greatest barriers to learning. The PCs need to stop acting like this bill has already passed and listen to teachers who know what Manitoba students need to succeed.”