Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner joins Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins for the latest update on bargaining with teachers, two days into a province-wide strike. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Michael Higgins: How much of a push was there from either side for an eleventh hour deal? Nate Horner: Honestly, we wanted to not even consider a lockout to see what actually would take place on Monday, with hopes that a reasonable proposal would be brought to us over the weekend. But I can say that there’s been no formal talks. I think the teams are having some exploratory conversations, but that’s not going to get a deal done. We weren’t close at all. MH: So how far apart do you consider the two sides to be? NH: I’d say pretty far, considering everything that I know and don’t know. I would correct you Mr. Higgins in your opening remarks. It wasn’t the government’s offer [that teachers rejected]. The government accepted the ATA’s offer. That’s what the teachers voted against resoundingly. From our position we need to hear from the ATA formally about what they would like to see happen, and then we can see if we can bargain to a reasonable landing place. Until that happens, we’re kind of stuck right now. Teachers are vocally saying what they would like to see, I would hope that they’re communicating that to the ATA and the ATA gets back to gets back to the bargaining team formally. MH: What do you need to hear from teachers at this point? I’ve heard the term “reasonable proposal.” What does that look like to you? NH: I think that they’ve clearly outlined the issues with the system. And I’m not here to debate those and say that they don’t exist. We’re hearing lots of concerns about complexity, class, size. It’s about coming to the table in a way that we can reasonably address those things. We’re already building schools as fast as possible. We made a large commitment that was asked for by the ATA around the hiring of 3,000 teachers. We’ve made some other commitments around the hiring of educational assistants that don’t really land at this bargaining table, but we know will help address the challenges in the classroom. So we need the teachers to talk to the ATA and the ATA to come back to the table. We can’t bargain with 50,000 individuals. MH: Where do you draw the line? For example, the teachers looking for a hard cap on the number of students per classroom? NH: We need things that are practically possible. You know, 4.4 per cent population growth, we’re not responsible in many ways for the in-flood of population that Alberta has seen. Two to three per cent is reasonable, 4.4 per cent is unheard of. So first things first, we have to commit to what’s practically achievable. Then we need to deal with some of the other issues that are driving complexity. We’re hearing about aggression in classrooms. There may be ways to approach these things in a more targeted way that addresses the needs of teachers. MH: As finance minister, how concerned are you that this strike might end up impacting Alberta’s economy? NH: The economy is not in a in a great place. Alberta is doing better than the rest of the country. But as the Bank of Canada said, if the CUSMA exemptions disappear, there’s no way we’re not going into a recession. If we’re able to keep those, we may avoid recession just barely. We have a 7.4 per cent unemployment rate currently. That’s going to stay at those sustained levels for at least another year. All of the pressures we’re seeing in education, we’re also seeing them present themselves elsewhere -- health, the social safety net. Everyone’s hyper-focused on education currently, but there’s these pressures across the system that also need to be dealt with. MH: Speaking of pressures, how long are you prepared to let the teachers’ strike go on before looking at options? Binding arbitration, government legislated contract for example? NH: Fact is, they have a right to strike. I do believe they have an obligation to bargain. I hope, I do hope, they come back to the table. The term you may hear me use and the premier use as the test for a hammer like that from government, is if we deem there’s irreparable harm happening - whether that’s to the long-term educational prospects of Alberta’s children, whether that’s to the economy at large. That’s the test before you can consider proceeding with a hammer like that. We’re back in session in earnest on Oct. 27. I don’t think two days into a strike is irreparable harm. I don’t know if that passes the bar. But if we get to the end of the month and nothing’s changed, and especially if the if the ATA hasn’t returned to the table formally, then we’ll have to consider everything. MH: How prepared are you for dialogue building around the degree your government publicly funds private education, the construction of private schools, and how that factors into this strike? NH: It’s something I’m always willing to discuss. Alberta does fund a little differently than the other provinces. Right now I’m looking at what’s the most reasonable way to get more kids in classrooms with reasonable class sizes? Some of those alternative paths definitely take pressure off the public system as well. I do think you have to look at them. You have to look at the system very holistically. I’m from remote, rural Alberta. There’s no options here but the public schools - or else I guess you teach your own kids. So definitely from a personal perspective I very much would like to see our kids back in classrooms and in public schools.
