The Alberta government is preparing to legislate an end to the provincewide teachers’ strike that has shuttered classrooms across the province for more than two weeks.
Premier Danielle Smith announced Thursday that her government will table Bill 2, the Back to School Act, when the legislature resumes Monday.
Speaking at a morning press conference, Smith said the legislation is necessary after negotiations with the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) stalled yet again.
“The precondition has to be getting kids back to school, and so far, the teachers’ union has been unwilling to do that,” Smith said. “They came back with an offer that moves even further apart rather than closer together. We’d like to see a realistic approach that allows us to address the issues of classroom complexity, but we have to get kids back in the classroom.”
The strike, which began October 6, has seen roughly 51,000 teachers walk off the job, affecting 750,000 students across Alberta’s public, separate, and francophone schools.
The Smith government says it has offered a 12% wage increase over four years and pledged to hire 3,000 new teachers to help manage growing class sizes. The ATA has rejected that offer, citing concerns about classroom conditions, support staff shortages, and inflation outpacing the proposed raises.
“Strikes are part of the collective bargaining process,” Smith said, “but when you get to a point where irreparable harm is being caused to kids, that’s where we have to draw a line.”
The Back to School Act would compel teachers to return to work immediately, with provisions expected for binding arbitration if no deal is reached.
Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi called the upcoming legislation “an attack on teachers, on public education, on all workers and their unions.”
ATA President Jason Schilling said the union had anticipated such a move but would reserve judgment until it reviews the bill.
“Our members have been looking for a negotiated settlement,” Schilling said.
“Teachers need things for their classrooms so their students can succeed and thrive. But my colleagues across the province feel mostly disrespected by this government.”
Schilling did not rule out legal action or the possibility of teachers defying the legislation, saying the union would “review Bill 2 once it’s tabled, and determine next steps from there.”
As Smith addressed reporters, thousands of teachers and supporters rallied outside the Alberta Legislature, demanding the government return to the bargaining table. Many held signs criticizing what they called a “heavy-handed” approach to labour relations.
According to the legislative order paper published Thursday, the government intends to fast-track Bill 2, allowing as little as one hour of debate per stage and the possibility of pushing it through multiple readings in a single day.
Government House Leader Joseph Schow defended the accelerated timeline: “The time allocation motions give us the opportunity to pass that bill quickly. We’ll assess how things look on Monday.”
Finance Minister Nate Horner, whose ministry oversees teacher bargaining, said the government’s goal is straightforward: “We’re looking to end the strike. Unions are going to have to decide what it is they want to do, or feel they need to do, but that’s our goal.”
The move to impose back-to-work legislation marks a decisive and risky moment for the Smith government. With hundreds of thousands of families demanding a return to normalcy, the premier is betting that the public will side with her call for stability over the union’s demands for greater classroom support.
But critics argue that the legislation could deepen distrust between educators and the government, setting the stage for another confrontation later in the school year.
For now, Alberta’s classrooms remain empty, and the political pressure is only mounting. Whether Bill 2 brings resolution or ignites further unrest will become clear in the days ahead.
