Alberta Premier Smith wants education commission after teachers strike

The Alberta Teachers' Association says members have no choice but to continue striking as province calls for a return to class.

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Thursday, as thousands of striking teachers and their supporters chanted and shouted nearby, that she wants to form a commission on education when the provincewide strike is over.

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Smith said she wants to see a negotiated settlement with the union representing the 51,000 teachers, who walked off the job Oct. 6.

Then the province will need “new models” to ensure issues like classroom complexity get addressed, she told reporters at an Edmonton Chamber of Commerce event.

“We think that this issue around complexity is the one that we hear about from teachers, that the specialized learning needs a little bit more ‘hands on,’” Smith said.

“I’d love to ... put a commission together with teachers to figure out how we do that.”

The main sticking points in the contract dispute have been wages, supports and classroom sizes.

Smith said her United Conservative Party government has tried to address the biggest challenges.

Teachers overwhelmingly rejected a government offer last month that included a 12 per cent pay raise over four years and a promise to hire 3,000 more teachers.

“We’re building more schools, we’ve offered a comprehensive pay package, we are prepared to hire more teachers and hire education assistants,” Smith said.

Roars and horns from the streets below were at times audible from the downtown event space, where Smith gave a speech to lunching business leaders and dignitaries.

Police estimated between 8,000 and 10,000 marched outside demanding more investment in education.

Taylor Ostafichuk said teachers are striking for the kids. “We’re staying loud, and I hope (Smith) can hear us,” said the teacher.

Ashley Pardy, also a teacher, said she went to show teachers “mean business.”

“I just wish that (Smith) would take our kids’ futures more seriously and actually put the money where it needs to be,” Pardy said.

Teacher Sarah Worth said she’s very worried about the state of public education and has considered moving from Alberta.

“If something doesn’t change soon, this is going to crumble. We need more support and we need it to be a sustainable place where teachers want to teach,” she said.

Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, said in a statement the union is not looking for more commissions or committees.

“(Teachers) are looking for actions that will directly improve their classrooms,” he said.

The idea of a commission echoes another formed after the last teachers strike in 2002. Then premier Ralph Klein agreed to form the group to study the state of Alberta’s education system and offer recommendations to government.

Finance Minister Nate Horner has said the government’s spending cap for a new contract is $2.6 billion, which would be spread out over four years. He has said the latest proposal from teachers would require almost $2 billion more in spending.

Both the union and the government said they don’t have an update on when the two sides might return to the bargaining table.

The strike is the largest walkout in provincial history. About 740,000 students have been out of 2,500 schools for eight school days.

The premier repeated that if it becomes clear the strike is going to cause irreparable harm, her government will consider forcing teachers back to work in the last week of October, when the legislature session starts.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2025.

Lisa Johnson and Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press