Alberta Legislates an End to Historic Teachers’ Strike

The Alberta government has passed legislation imposing a new contract on striking teachers and mandating a return to classrooms across the province.

Alberta teachers are heading back to class this week after the provincial government passed emergency legislation ending a province-wide strike and imposing a new contract on more than 51,000 educators.

The strike began Oct. 6 and left approximately 750,000 students out of school. Bill 2: Back to School Act, was introduced Monday and passed before dawn Tuesday following an overnight session. The legislation invokes the notwithstanding clause to shield it from legal challenges, CBC News reported on Oct. 27.

Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party holds a legislative majority and used procedural tools to fast-track all three stages of debate. “Our intention is to pass this legislation immediately and end the strike by the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA),” Smith told reporters. “My expectation is that students and teachers will be back in the classroom on Wednesday.”

Bill 2 enforces the terms of a previously rejected tentative agreement between the ATA and the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association. Nearly 90 per cent of teachers voted against the deal earlier this month.

Under the new terms, local bargaining will be suspended until 2028. The legislation includes penalties of $500 per day for individuals and $500,000 per day for the union if they fail to comply.

Finance Minister Nate Horner told the Alberta Legislature that invoking the clause would ensure that “when classrooms reopen, they stay open.” Opposition members responded with loud objections and cries of “shame.”

Government House Leader Joseph Schow moved to limit debate at every stage of the bill. NDP MLA Heather Sweet called the move “an absolute democratic betrayal in the making,” adding, “When paired with the notwithstanding clause, it becomes a double blow to our democracy. This is not legislative efficiency, this is legislative authoritarianism,” according to CBC News. 

ATA blasts government move as “a travesty for democracy”

As the bill was tabled, ATA President Jason Schilling watched from the legislature gallery. Speaking outside shortly after, he said, “We saw a government bully. We saw a government use the legislature to ram through what they feel is a fair settlement and then use the notwithstanding clause to prohibit the rights of teachers,” he told reporters. “If the government is willing to use the notwithstanding clause against teachers, it could use it against anyone in Alberta,” he added. “What you saw in there today is a travesty of our legislature. It’s a travesty for democracy.”

The ATA later issued a statement saying it would “pursue all legal alternatives to challenge Bill 2’s egregious assault on the collective bargaining rights of teachers and, by extension, all workers.”

The new collective agreement applies from Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2028. It includes three per cent annual salary increases and a commitment to hire 3,000 new teachers and 1,500 educational assistants over three years.

Premier Smith said the legislation was necessary to avoid prolonged uncertainty. “There’s two potentials for strike, not only at the general provincial table, but also at the local table,” she said. “And if there are strikes that are allowed at 61 different school boards, that does not give the certainty that we need,” CBC News reported. 

Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi called the bill unconstitutional. “There are better ways to achieve what we are achieving,” he told the legislature. He said the province could have opted for binding arbitration instead of legislation.

Nenshi also warned that the political fallout could extend beyond education. “The premier has woken up parents, she’s woken up teachers, she’s woken up students, she’s woken up workers,” he said. “She’s woken up everybody who wants a better Alberta, and she is going to rue the day that she did this.”

The strike had ripple effects not just across classrooms, but also in administration offices and SMB school operators — from substitute booking to payroll continuity. The ATA has also raised concerns about unaddressed class sizes and student support needs, which remain outside the scope of the legislated agreement.

A final report from the province’s student complexity action team is expected next month, with a new task force set to begin implementing recommendations shortly after.For a look at how educators supported themselves during the walkout — and why some may not be returning to classrooms full-time — read: Alberta teachers turn to side hustles during strike.