The Ford government is preparing an advertisement taking aim at teacher unions, as contract negotiations with five of them are stalled over a dispute about bargaining rules.
A draft script of the proposed ad obtained by The Trillium has actors portraying parents criticizing teacher unions over sick days, doctor’s notes and potential strikes.
“I read that Ontario teachers are already the highest paid in Canada,” one character playing “mom” says.
Another character, “dad,” responds: “That’s money well spent, but I hope that teacher unions don’t walk out on students over salaries.”
Then the script turns to sick days.
“And they take an average of 14 sick days. No note needed,” another dad character says.
Another mom responds: “Everyone gets sick, but teacher unions shouldn’t oppose needing sick notes and a cap on sick days.”
An alternative version of the line says “sick notes and reasonable limits make sense,” while another alternative says “I don’t think asking for a note is unreasonable.”
A final alternative says “Nobody’s saying people shouldn’t take a sick day. I just think there should be some limits.”
The proposed ad then pivots back to the Ford government’s education priorities, with a parent saying she is glad the government is “going back to basics” with what children are learning, including “math, science and literacy.”
The script ends with parents saying they want their kids in school so they can keep learning.
The document is labelled “Ministry of Education: Student Achievement First” and is dated July 10, 2026.
It is not clear if the ad is already in production or still in the casting process.