Alberta government plans back-to-work legislation as teachers’ strike enters third week

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will introduce back-to-work legislation on Monday if no deal is reached to end the provincewide teachers’ strike.

Smith said the walkout, now in its third week, has caused “intolerable hardship” for students and families, adding that the government cannot allow the disruption to continue. The strike has shut down classrooms for about 51,000 teachers and 750,000 students in public, separate, and francophone schools across the province.

While formal negotiations between the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the province are not currently scheduled, Smith said there is still time for both sides to reach a settlement before the bill is tabled.

The United Conservative government has already set procedural steps in motion, placing the proposed Back to School Act on the legislature’s order paper to allow for rapid debate and passage if required.

The teachers’ union has maintained that the strike is necessary to address issues of classroom size, workload, and compensation, while the government insists that any settlement must be affordable and sustainable.