Ontario’s New Democrats have blocked an attempt by the Liberal government to table back-to-work legislation today to end a nearly five-week strike by college faculty.

Premier Kathleen Wynne says unanimous support of the legislation would have meant students could return to class on Monday morning.

But the NDP blocked a government attempt to table the bill after the normally scheduled time period for introducing legislation this evening.

The Liberals will now ask the Speaker to reconvene the legislature Friday, when it normally does not sit, so the legislation can be introduced.

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath issued the following statement.

“I will not support back to work legislation. I want students back in classrooms Monday, and I want that achieved through a deal.

It looks like Kathleen Wynne wanted to use anti-worker back-to-work legislation all along. She spent barely an hour at the table today, after doing nothing for five long weeks.

The reason we’re in this mess to begin with is because Premier Wynne and her Liberal government have failed to properly fund post-secondary education for years, putting Ontario last in Canada when it comes to per-student funding.

The premier has the ability to call the legislature back, and the NDP is prepared to sit through the weekend to debate this move.

College students across the province missed out on five weeks of class, have been put under financial strain, and have had to put their life plans on hold because Kathleen Wynne refused to lift a finger to help bring the parties back to the negotiating table. Now that this has become a political problem for the Liberal party, she is ramming through reckless back-to-work legislation.

New Democrats will not support any legislation that takes away the rights of any workers in this province. Kathleen Wynne is failing both college students and their instructors with her actions today. This does not solve the problem she created.”