I'm a federal civil servant who has been on strike twice in five years. Both times, the Treasury Board of Canada (the formal employer) made risible offers and implied that any strike action would eventually result in back-to-work legislation, as happened in 1991. The "eventually" part is to guarantee that the union's funds are depleted.

To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time a Canadian union has had its strike fund frozen, and in fact it could not have been done without the contempt conviction. The BC government could not have chosen a more effective way to polarize the situation and make itself look like the Big Bad Wolf, and I hope the teachers' union can hang on long enough to reap the benefit.

At least the BC teachers are fully mobilized, and are not faced with the disheartening spectacle of scabbing colleagues while they walk the line.