Teachers from the north rallied with colleagues from around the province at Queen’s Park today against the government plan for new legislation that would freeze teacher’s wages and cut benefits.

The new bill would also give the province the power to ban lockouts and strikes.

A crowd of between 3,000 and 4,000 teachers gathered on the lawn of the Ontario legislature Tuesday, including Barb Blasutti who is president of the Rainbow Teachers union in Sudbury.

“The teachers locally are feeling very discouraged,” Blasutti said. “They really don’t understand why this Liberal government has taken the stand or the steps that is has done.”

Approximately 250 members of the local unions across the northwest of the province rallied in Thunder Bay today as well, showing solidarity with teachers all across the province.