The Ontario Liberals seem to be taking a 'hands-off' approach to resolving a strike at colleges in this province.
Some 500,000 students had their classes called off on Monday, as 12,000 teachers and faculty members walked off the job after contract talks broke down.
WATCH: A NEWSTALK 1010 listener caught this confrontation on video at the picket lines outside Mohawk College's Fennell campus this morning pic.twitter.com/6RDQ1uSJ6m
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Deb Matthews, Ontario's Minister of Advanced Education, says her wish is that both sides get back to the bargaining table soon.
However, she says that the government has no immediate plans to intervene, telling the Opposition parties during Question Period at the Legislature, that her Ontario Liberals "respect the collective bargaining process."
Matthews was the Health Minister in 2012, when the Liberal government suspended the right to strike for some elementary and high school teacher unions.
An Ontario Superior Court judge ruled last year that the move violated Canada's constitution.
Ontario Progressive-Conservative leader Patrick Brown is calling on the Premier to get both sides of the labour dispute back to the bargaining table.
Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath told NEWSTALK 1010 on Monday that the Liberals owe an explanation for why the negotiations took such a drastic turn for the worse.
The College Employer Council, which bargains for the colleges, says the Ontario Public Service Employees Union rejected its latest contract proposal.
Employer council spokeswoman Sonia Del Missier says the strike is completely unnecessary.
She says management was offering terms that were as good or better than recent settlements with teachers, college support staff, hospital professionals, and Ontario public servants.
The union presented a new offer Saturday night that called for the number of full time faculty to match the number of faculty members on contract.
It also called for improvements in job security and for faculty to have a stronger voice in academic decision making.