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On a day of teacher walkouts that shut classrooms for 339,000 elementary students in the GTA, union representatives were warning there could be more coming.

If, under Bill 115, the provincial government imposes a new collective agreement after Dec. 31, as promised, the teachers will implement a day of political protests, said Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario Tuesday.

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He suggested that protest could also come on a school day.

Describing Bill 115 as “draconian,” Mr. Hammond said its constraints are the reason for the ongoing labour dispute, and once again called on Education Minister Laurel Broten to do “what she should on behalf of the people and the students in this province.”

But with no meetings planned between the two sides, chances are slim that a deal can be reached before the New Year.

Premier Dalton McGuinty weighed in on the walkouts during a morning appearance on CityTV’s Breakfast Television, defending his government’s position as a financial necessity.