What started off as another "Join Jane" meeting with North Vancouver-Seymour MLA Jane Thornthwaite quickly escalated into confrontational politicking over the teachers' strike on Thursday morning.
Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite fielded questions from a few dozen teachers and parents about education funding at her meeting with constituents at Lynn Valley Library.
Local parent Jessica Stanley was one of those who promoted the meeting as an opportunity for parents to get their voices heard.
"Many of us feel grateful for the teachers because they're protecting our children's classrooms," Stanley said. "So, yes, the strike is an inconvenience, but frankly the worst inconvenience is the lack of funding into our education system."
Janet Martin, another concerned parent, and Stanley started the Facebook group North Vancouver Parents Supporting Teachers.
Martin, who also attended the Thursday morning meeting, said it grew tense as the crowd asked Thornthwaite questions about funding, class size, lack of resources and supplies, and classroom composition.
"(Thornthwaite) was speaking to her party line very carefully," Martin said. "There was a large number of teachers in the room and they're pretty frustrated."
The one thing Martin said she took away from the meeting was just how under-funded the public school system is when she heard teachers recount their problems.
Martin said one young kindergarten teacher told Thornthwaite she was filling her classroom with her own children's books.
Thornthwaite said she sympathizes with the parents because she is one. "I explained to them that my child is also not in school because of this," she said. "So I'm a parent, as well as an MLA."
Thornthwaite noted the parents, many of them teachers, showed up with Daniel Storm, the North Vancouver Teachers' Association president.
"So it was quite a political event," she said.
Thornthwaite said some of the questions asked at the meeting were ones she can't answer.
"I can't speak on behalf of the minister. I can't speak on behalf of Jim Iker, the BCT F president.. .. I think the crowd wanted more answers from me and that's not my role."
Teachers remained on the picket lines and schools were closed all last week while the province and the teachers union traded barbs through the media.
By Thursday, the B.C. Teachers' Federation had called for mediation in the bargaining process following inconclusive negotiations on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Peter Fassbender said in a press statement he was disappointed the union's "latest demands moved them further away from the affordability zone for public sector settlements."
