Thousands of teachers rally outside of Alberta legislature with back-to-work order expected next week

Thousands of teachers and supporters rallied outside the Alberta legislature, where back-to-work legislation will be introduced next week.

While teachers may be faced with back-to-work legislation come Monday, the union president representing Alberta educators hopes the provincial government is listening as thousands rallied outside of the legislature Thursday.

“I hope they hear the passion and the despair that teachers are sharing in terms of what their classrooms need and how students are slipping through the crack,” said Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) president Jason Schilling.

Teachers and supporters donned red garb, calling on the Alberta government to return to the bargaining table as the third week of a province-wide strike comes to a close.

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Earlier in the day, premier Danielle Smith said back-to-work legislation for teachers will be coming Monday in the form of the “Back to School Act.”

Schilling said he understands why the province is doing it as more than 750,000 students have been out of school for 14 days.

“I understand that they have the ability to do that, but it does fly within the face of democracy,” Schilling told CTV News Edmonton outside of the legislature. “How are you supposed to have a debate in the house that is supposed to represent those across this province by limiting that debate and ramming through legislation?”

He said the province has had plenty of time to negotiate with teachers.

Inside the legislature following the throne speech, Finance Minister Nate Horner said no bargaining dates have been scheduled for the foreseeable future.

“I think we’ve never left the table in the sense that if an offer came across the table this weekend, or if they contacted (the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association) and asked for formal dates, conversations would be happening,” said Horner.

• Timeline: Contract negotiations with Alberta government, teachers

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said children shouldn’t be suffering the consequences of a disagreement between teachers and the province.

“I’m hopeful if the “Back to School Act” passes that we can get students back into the classroom very, very quickly,” said Nicolaides. “I can’t give an exact date or time, but I’m hoping that we can arrange that as quickly as possible.”

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi called the province’s legislation, which aims to expedite the parliamentary process by allotting just one hour per step, “shocking.”

“It shows that the government never had a plan to solve public education,” Nenshi said to reporters following the throne speech. “They engineered this strike, but their only plan to get out of it is to force teachers back to work … there’s nothing in here about fixing the system.”

Meanwhile, some 30,000 teachers from across the province rallied outside of the legislature.

Many brought potatoes after Smith referred to different outcomes of negotiations, saying “there’s more than one way to peel a potato” last week.

Holly Davidson drove from Calgary with a few of her colleagues to take part in the rally. She’s been a teacher for 25 years.

“I’m good at what I do, but the guilt I feel when I leave the classroom, knowing that I can’t get to (every student) at the end of the day, it’s really hard on us and it’s really hard on our students,” said Davidson.

The teachers’ contract expired Aug. 31, 2024.

The province and the ATA have been stuck on issues of class complexity as well as wages.