Deficit spending an option in Nova Scotia teachers dispute: NDP

NDP Leader Gary Burrill says the Liberals should consider deficit spending to cover the investments needed in Nova Scotia classrooms.

“Making the investments that are required ought not to be ruled out simply because it might put us in a deficit position,” Burrill told reporters Friday.

Teachers have rejected two tentative agreements over working conditions, the proposed two-year wage freeze, and the ending of the long service award. The government has said it’s willing to do more to invest in classrooms but Premier Stephen McNeil says the wage package on offer is “fair” and he’s only willing to change it if teachers find cuts elsewhere in the contract.

READ MORE: Parents group throws support behind teachers ahead of potential strike

McNeil told reporters the government isn’t opposed to mediation, but it has to know whether there is the opportunity for a deal.

“We have laid out what we believe is a fair fiscal envelope and if they want more in salary or they want to keep the long service award, what are they bringing back to the table?”

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But Burrill says the cash teachers are asking for is necessary and if the government can’t find the money, it should consider borrowing to pay for it.

“There are times to draw in and cut back, but there are times when you need to invest,” Burrill said. “We’re in the second kind of time and the government hasn’t understood this.”

READ MORE: ‘How we’re here I’m not sure’: Stephen McNeil on impasse with teachers

The government is already ruling out his suggestion. In the 2013 election, the Liberals campaigned on balancing the budget and Education Minister Karen Casey said that’s still the plan. “We believe that we have to live within our means,” she said.

Teachers have asked Labour Minister Kelly Regan to appoint a mediator to try and find a resolution between the Nova Scotia Teachers Union and the government. Regan says she will appoint on if she’s “satisfied that there may be a resolution.”

Members of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union voted 96 per cent in favour of strike action on Oct. 25. The vote took place after union members rejected a tentative agreement on Oct. 4 – the second in the last year. The union will be in a legal strike position on December 3.

-With files from The Canadian Press

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