There was a time when reporters and political pundits could count on taking a few days off between Christmas and New Years. Apart from the New Era tradition of major political disasters occurring at year end, the Campbell government has also grasped the holiday period as a time for "taking out the trash". On December 23rd, they announced further chaos in the Ministry of Children and Family Development (no news release, just a website posting). A week later, on December 30th, Christy Clark, Minister of Education, whose husband handed yet undescribed documents over to the RCMP a day earlier, further caved in to the BCTF when she announced that government would make "an advance payment" of college dues for teachers who were in arrears.

Over 20,000 teachers have not paid their $90 fee to the College of Teachers because they are protesting the Campbell government's take over of the College. During a staged cabinet meeting held on December 10th, Clark announced that government would amend legislation so that a majority of members on the College of Teachers would be elected. Teachers are concerned that bylaws will be amended before the legislative change, and the new board will not have the two thirds majority necessary to review the changes. That is one of the reasons why the BCTF has not forwarded dues held in trust for potential payment to the College.

Clark's news release claims that "The province expects to pay the fees of about 20,000 individual members as a temporary measure. About 34,000 college members have already paid their $90 fee to the college." It doesn't mention that the members who have paid include school administrators and private school teachers. A majority of public school teachers are continuing to withhold their dues as a result of Clark's foolish approach to "partnering in education".