The Ontario government has unveiled its proposed legislation that would impose a contract on teachers if they don’t sign agreements with local school boards by the end of the month.

The legislation would freeze wages and prevent a strike or lockout for the next two school years.

Education Minister Laurel Broten says if a new agreement isn’t in place by the end of the month, the current deal calls for an automatic wage increase on September 1st that will cost the cash-strapped province almost half a billion dollars.

But the opposition parties are accusing the Liberals of manufacturing a crisis to appear strong ahead of two September by-elections. The Conservatives say they don’t know if they will support the legislation, because they still haven’t been shown the details, even though the minority Liberals need opposition support to pass any bill.