Last week, I wrote on how the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) was in a conflict of interest in trying to juggle the role between being a professional disciplinary body and a labour union..Today, UCP Education Minister Adriana LaGrange announced the government will be drafting legislation for this spring that would separate the teacher disciplinary process from the ATA’s mandate and functions. I wish I could claim my column inspired this sudden desire to take on the ATA, but I suspect LaGrange is motivated by the words of ATA representatives themselves..When ATA representative Jonathan Teghtmeyer pointed out the ATA is not under any obligation to report potential criminal behaviour on the part of teachers to police, he demonstrated the conflict of interest the ATA held more clearly than a hundred columns could. It should be a moral obligation rather than a legal one obliging the ATA to report potential criminal behaviour to the police. The problem is, the ATA is a labour union prioritizing the needs of teachers over the safety of students..The case Teghtmeyer was referring to involved Michael Gregory, a teacher who had allegedly sexually assaulted multiple students while he taught at John Ware junior high school in Calgary between 1986 and 2006. The ATA did investigate Gregory and suspended his license to teach. They didn’t share their investigation with the police however. If the ATA won’t inform police in a case like this, what else could they be sitting on?.Gregory subsequently was charged with 17 sexual offenses. He took his own life before those charges got to court..Governments are typically terrified of taking on labour unions, particularly those of the teachers and nurses. It is refreshing to see Minister LaGrange taking such a definitive stance on an issue sure to bring heavy blowback upon the UCP government from the teachers’ union next year. Unions jealously guard their authority and will fight back against any efforts to have it reduced..In the Alberta legislature, Bill 85 passed just before the end of the fall session. Bill 85 amends numerous acts and requires the ATA to inform the Ministry of Education about all complaints made against its members, including when a complaint is filed. While this still doesn’t require the ATA to inform police when there is suspicion of criminal wrongdoing, it makes it much more difficult for the union to keep complaints out of sight. The act also has measures to reform the ATA’s disciplinary structure but that may become moot with this spring’s legislation..If the disciplinary process for teachers is completely separated from the ATA’s mandate, it won’t matter what their disciplinary structure is..LaGrange got straight to the point when she said, “It is now abundantly clear the ATA can no longer act as the investigator and the prosecutor for complaints against its members. This obvious conflict of interest has made Alberta an outlier. All other provinces and territories follow either an arm’s-length or government-operated model for teacher discipline.”.The odd hybrid role of the ATA being both a professional association and a teacher’s union has an innate conflict of interest. The worst element of that conflict had been giving the teachers’ union the role of teacher discipline..I am happy to see signs the UCP government could be taking some bold policy stances in 2022. The UCP is foundering in public support and there has to be some temptation to try and avoid conflict or difficult policy decisions as the 2023 election looms. The government needs to show some direction and leadership. Taking on one of the most powerful unions in the province on behalf of Alberta students is just the sort of battle they should be getting into..I have been very critical of the UCP on many fronts and they have earned it. I am happy to be in support of one of their initiatives for a change..LaGrange should be applauded and encouraged to maintain strength for what is sure to be a tough engagement with the ATA and organized labour in general..Cory Morgan is Assistant Opinion & Broadcast Editor for the Western Standard.cmorgan@westernstandardonline.com
