Alberta labour leaders are exploring the possibility of a province-wide general strike after the United Conservative Party (UCP) government passed legislation suspending teachers’ collective bargaining rights.
Speaking at Ironworkers Hall in Edmonton on Wednesday, Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), said unions will begin organizing toward a potential general strike while supporting recall campaigns against UCP MLAs.
“We are not going to pull the pin today, but we are going to start the journey,” McGowan told supporters. “If they won’t shrink the size of their classrooms, we will shrink the size of their caucus.”
The warning follows the Back to School Act, introduced and passed Monday in a single sitting. The bill forced 51,000 public, Catholic, and francophone teachers back to work after a month-long strike over wages and classroom conditions.
The act imposes a new contract rejected by 90% of teachers and invokes the notwithstanding clause, blocking legal challenges and suspending collective bargaining until 2028.
McGowan said labour groups, representing 175,000 workers across 24 unions, will consult with members and allies through the Common Front coalition, which has pledged solidarity across sectors.
“We will begin organizing toward a potential general strike in Alberta,” he said. “Workers want to topple this government.”
National Labour Leaders Back Alberta Workers
Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske voiced national support, warning that suspending bargaining rights threatens all workers.
“When one provincial government tramples rights, every worker is at risk,” Bruske said, referencing Ontario’s 2022 education strike, where union pressure forced Premier Doug Ford to repeal similar legislation.
Legal and Political Fallout
Ottawa labour lawyer Malini Vijaykumar said the AFL’s approach mirrors Ontario’s strategy — leveraging the threat of a strike to pressure the government.
“You can’t bluff about a general strike for weeks,” she said. “But gauging the public’s temperature for a few days is fair.”
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Nate Horner downplayed the AFL’s announcement.
“It sounds like a plan to make a plan,” Horner said. “No one is currently in a legal strike position, and penalties will follow any illegal action.”
Minister Dale Nally accused left-wing groups of “weaponizing” recall laws to trigger an early election, while insisting Albertans don’t want another vote before the next fixed election date — October 18, 2027.
The UCP holds 47 of 87 seats, with 38 NDP MLAs and two independents. All opposition members voted against the Back to School Act.
For now, Alberta’s unions say they’re testing support and mobilizing quietly — but the possibility of a province-wide labour showdown looms large.
