Public to have their say at committee hearing

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This article was published 24/04/2023 (867 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A marathon committee hearing in which members of the public can have their say on a hot-button teacher misconduct bill begins tonight.

Seventy-two people are scheduled to speak on Bill 35, the Education Administration Act (Teacher Certification and Professional Conduct), at a hearing that starts at 6 p.m. Each person has 10 minutes to speak.

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society, the 16,000 member-strong union, has encouraged teachers to sign up and speak out about the bill since it was introduced last month. The union has slammed it as “anti-teacher” and says it wants the bill amended. It is providing teachers with a script, which they can change to include personal opinions or experiences, to read at the hearing.

It’s unlikely all 72 presentations will be heard tonight.

The legislature clerk’s office said committees can hear presentations until midnight. If they want to sit longer, they must unanimously agree.

If required, the remaining presentations will be heard on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“If there are presenters still registered to present to committee at the end of the third meeting, the government house leader will need to announce further dates,” a spokesperson for the clerk’s office said. “The bill cannot pass committee stage until all registered presenters have been called twice.”

Bill 35 would make incidents of teacher misconduct public and lead to the appointment of an independent commissioner to investigate allegations of wrongdoing. If a case moves to a hearing stage, a panel composed of one teacher, one person appointed by the Manitoba School Boards Association and one member of the public would assesses the matter and decide on discipline.

If the bill passes, a teacher registry would be made public.

—staff