Alberta to Table Back-to-Work Legislation Monday to End Provincewide Teachers’ Strike

After nearly three weeks of shuttered classrooms and stalled talks, the Alberta government will move to end the provincewide teachers’ strike with back-to-work legislation on Monday.

Premier Danielle Smith confirmed Thursday that her government will table Bill 2 — the Back to School Act — when the legislature reconvenes next week.

“The precondition has to be getting kids back to school,” Smith said. “So far, [the teachers’ union has] been unwilling to do that.”

Roughly 51,000 public, separate, and francophone teachers have been on strike since October 6, leaving about 750,000 students out of class across Alberta. Negotiations with the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) have stalled over wages, class sizes, and classroom support.

The government has offered a 12% wage increase over four years and pledged to hire 3,000 additional teachers, but the union rejected the proposal, calling it insufficient.

Smith said there is still time to reach a deal before Monday, but she called that outcome “unlikely.”

Union and Opposition Push Back

The ATA said it anticipated the government’s legislative move but wants to review the bill before deciding next steps.

“Our members have been clear — they want improvements that allow students to thrive and teachers to do their jobs,” said ATA president Jason Schilling.

Schilling added that while teachers prefer a negotiated settlement, they will consider legal action if the legislation forces them back to work.

Meanwhile, Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi denounced the government’s plan as “an attack on teachers, on public education, and on workers’ rights.”

Official Opposition House Leader Christina Gray said the United Conservative Party is undermining constitutionally protected collective bargaining.

“Labour across Canada is watching,” she warned. “This so-called freedom-loving government is rushing to take those rights away.”

Teachers Rally at Legislature

Thousands of educators gathered outside the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton Thursday, rallying for better funding and classroom support.

Many expressed frustration that returning to work under the same conditions would feel like defeat.

“The way this government treats us makes me feel like I don’t want to teach here anymore,” said Charlotte Rollans, a Grade 6 teacher from Edmonton.

“It feels like we’re going back to the same problems we’re trying to fix,” added Feikje Deinum, a special needs teacher.

Government Says Return Could Be Swift

Finance Minister Nate Horner, who oversees the government’s bargaining agency, said the aim is simple: end the strike and resume learning.

“We’re looking to end the strike,” Horner said. “Unions have to decide what they want to do — but that’s our goal.”

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said schools are preparing for a quick return once Bill 2 passes.

“Boards know the legislation is coming and are making preparations,” he said.

The order paper released Thursday indicates the government may fast-track Bill 2, limiting debate to one hour per reading to expedite its passage.

Smith defended the move, saying the strike has gone on long enough.

“We’ve never had a strike of this magnitude before,” she said. “When irreparable harm is being caused to kids, that’s where we have to draw the line.”

Danielle Smith Reaffirms Alberta’s Net-Zero by 2050 Goal During Heated Parliamentary Hearing

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith reiterated her province’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 during a tense appearance before a federal parliamentary committee on Thursday — a session marked by sharp exchanges and political sparring.

Appearing virtually, Smith was pressed repeatedly by Bloc Québécois MP Patrick Bonin, who demanded to know whether she believes human activity is the main driver of climate change.

After initially sidestepping the question, Smith ultimately acknowledged the climate is warming and said humans contribute to it — but stopped short of calling it the primary cause.

“I don’t know the answer to that. I’m not a scientist,” Smith said. “But we do know we need to get to carbon neutral by 2050, and we have a plan to do that.”

Smith’s comments came as MPs examined Canada’s emissions reduction plan for 2030 and beyond. The exchange grew heated when Smith accused Bonin of not understanding Alberta’s energy sector.

“In Quebec, you don’t understand the oil industry,” she said. “There are 6,000 products that come from a barrel of oil.”

Bonin interjected as the committee chair intervened to restore order.

Energy Investment Concerns and Policy Clash

Smith used the hearing to warn that Canada’s energy sector is losing billions in investment to the United States, citing Ottawa’s regulatory and environmental policies.

“In the last 120 days, Canadian-based companies have announced more than $20 billion in capital investment in the U.S.,” Smith said, pointing to the federal emissions cap, tanker ban, and clean electricity regulations as barriers to growth.

Her remarks echoed statements made the same day at the Canada 2020 conference, where Trevor Ebl, president of TC Energy’s Canadian natural gas division, said regulatory delays are hurting competitiveness.

Ebl contrasted TC’s Coastal GasLink pipeline in B.C. — which took nearly a decade to complete — with its Southeast Gateway project in Mexico, built in under three years.

“There’s a gap in returns and in regulatory certainty. Canada is falling behind on both,” he warned.

Ottawa’s ‘Building Canada Act’ Response

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has sought to address these concerns through the Building Canada Act, passed in June, which allows the federal government to fast-track projects deemed in the “national interest.”

While Conservatives supported the bill, they argue it fails to fix deeper regulatory issues.

“This gives no permanent certainty for investors,” said Alberta MP Shannon Stubbs.

Ebl said the legislation is a “positive step,” but urged Ottawa to extend its fast-track approach to more projects to boost energy development and restore investor confidence.

B.C. Legislature Rejects Bill to Ban Land Acknowledgements in Schools

A controversial proposal to ban land acknowledgements in B.C. schools and public institutions has been soundly defeated in the legislature.

The private member’s bill, tabled by Dallas Brodie, MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, was voted down 88–5 during its first reading on Thursday — an unusually decisive rejection at such an early stage.

Brodie, who was expelled from the B.C. Conservative Party in March for allegedly mocking residential school survivors, introduced the Land Acknowledgement Prohibition Act. The bill sought to bar employees in publicly funded bodies from making acknowledgements “that deny the sovereignty of the Crown within British Columbia or attribute collective guilt based on race or ancestry.”

Land acknowledgements are statements recognizing the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples who have lived on the land long before colonial settlement. Once primarily an Indigenous practice, they have become common in public events, schools, and government gatherings in recent years.

Only four MLAs — Brodie, Tara Armstrong, Harman Bhangu, and Heather Maahs — voted in favour of the bill. Brodie and Armstrong, both former Conservatives, now lead a newly formed party called OneBC.

Following the vote, Á’a:líya Warbus, a Conservative MLA and Indigenous leader, condemned the bill, calling it a step backward in reconciliation.

“It takes all the hard work we’re doing and completely distracts from that,” Warbus said. “Reconciliation can be uncomfortable, but we need to stay on the right side of history.”

Spencer Chandra Herbert, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, echoed those concerns, warning that banning land acknowledgements would “erase First Nations history” and deepen divisions.

“That’s why we acknowledge First Nations people,” he said. “Trying to ban it is like pushing the truth under the carpet.”

The resounding vote against Brodie’s proposal underscores broad cross-party support in B.C. for continuing public recognition of Indigenous lands — a key element in the province’s ongoing journey toward reconciliation.