Working people know that public education is the bedrock foundation of a just and caring society. For more than 150 years, Toronto’s labour movement has relentlessly advocated for policies and funding that provides quality public education for all – including newcomer families and adult learners. But in 1995 the gains made in the struggle for high quality accessible and inclusive education were rolled back by the Mike Harris
Conservative government. Its highly ideological agenda included severe budget cuts, attacks on all unionized workers, and the centralization of provincial control over the entire school system.
To take on this challenge, a powerful community-labour coalition came together in Toronto – the Campaign for Public Education (CPE). The strategies adopted by the coalition helped build huge public support for an education fightback. The CPE’s efforts, combined with similar ones across the province, was a key factor in the Conservative regime’s defeat in 2003.
