Nova Scotia Liberals were taking much of the heat for the lengthy dispute between the government and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, according to a January survey.
The survey was paid for by the government in early January and released by the Progressive Conservatives (PCs) on Monday, following an access to information request.
READ MORE: Why one Liberal MLA voted in favour of a legislated teachers contract
MQO Research conducted the poll while the union and government were in their third round of negotiations. Another tentative agreement was reached on Jan. 18, but it was later rejected by teachers.
The poll includes responses from 400 residents gathered between Jan. 11 and 17, and cost $5,250, according to the documents provided by the Tories. The survey is accurate +/- 4.9 per cent, 19 times of 20.
Respondents were most critical of the government when asked which side has been more reasonable and when asked which side they would assign blame to if an agreement wasn’t reached.
Asked “which side has been more reasonable?” 39 per cent said the union, compared to 27 per cent who said the government. Another eight per cent said both, 13 per cent said neither and 14 per cent said they don’t know.
READ MORE: What is the new normal as Nova Scotia teachers adjust to legislated contract?
An even wider margin – 44 per cent – said they would place the blame on the government for a failure to reach an agreement, while 27 per cent said the union would hold the blame. Another 18 per cent said both sides would be at fault, three per cent said neither, and nine per cent said they didn’t know.
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Survey showed Liberals had an out with legislated contract
While the survey showed the Liberals were getting much of the flak for the teachers dispute, it also suggested a possible exit strategy.
Asked if the government should legislate a contract if an agreement can’t be reached and work-to-rule continued, 59 per cent said they strongly agreed or somewhat agreed.
READ MORE: NS teachers tell legislature that imposed contract will hurt students most
Meanwhile, just 32 per cent said they would strongly or somewhat disagree with a legislated contract. Eight per cent said they didn’t know.
Less than one month later, the Liberals announced their plan to legislate a contract. When it was announced a statement attributed to Premier Stephen McNeil said he had done “considerable soul searching” before coming to the decision.
“Its total ‘BS’ to say you’re soul searching when in fact you’re polling the whole time,” PC leader Jamie Baillie told Global News Monday. He added that he believed the decision to legislate was based on the polling.
Education Minister Karen Casey was not available for an interview but in an emailed statement said the government “worked very hard for 18 months to resolve this first at the bargaining table before we brought forward the bill.”
“This hasn’t been easy, but I believe the end result is an agreement that will allow teachers to have direct say in improving classroom conditions,” she said.
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