Retired B.C. teachers cheered, hugged and in several cases wept after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in their favour in a lengthy battle with the B.C. government over class sizes and other working conditions.
The 7-2 decision came less than a half hour after lawyers representing the B.C. Teachers’ Federation, and union groups across the country, argued that Victoria violated the teachers’ constitutional right to bargain collectively.
Pitted against them were lawyers from the B.C., federal, Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan governments making conflicting arguments.
“We’re elated, this has been a long journey,” said BCTF President Glen Hansman.
The decision overturned the B.C. Court of Appeal’s 2015 ruling in favour of the government, and restored the original decision in the union’s favour by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Susan Griffin.
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