The Alberta government will introduce back-to-work legislation for striking teachers on Monday, though exactly when that will pass and when schools will reopen remains unclear.
Premier Danielle Smith confirmed the date for the forthcoming legislation during a Thursday news conference ahead of the start of a new legislative session and throne speech later in the afternoon.
“We know that this strike is causing harm to kids. We know it’s causing harm to teachers, since there isn’t a strike fund, and we want to be able to end it for the sake of both frontline teachers as well as students and their families,” she said.
Smith added Bill 2 — the Back to School Act — would have to go through the established legislative steps before coming into force but couldn’t say when that would happen.
“I don’t know how quickly it will go through the legislature, but I think you can see how quickly potentially it could be based on the order paper.”
Thursday’s order paper, the legislative assembly’s agenda, outlines potential options for the government to accelerate the legislative process including a one-hour time limit at each reading as well as the addition of evening sittings.
The same document indicates the bill would be tabled by Finance Minister Nate Horner, who told reporters Thursday that more details were still to come.
“All I can say is we’ll look to expedite the process. But as for an actual date the bill could potentially be passed, you’ll have to wait.”
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said it is too soon to say how soon children will return to classrooms after the back-to-work legislation is passed.
“There has to be some procedural steps,” he said, adding, “I can’t give an exact date or time, but I’m hoping that we can arrange that as quickly as possible.”
“We’re going to get them back into school where they need to be, and where they have to be, and that’s going to be the priority Number 1.”
In a statement, Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi called the legislation “the biggest abuse of democratic rights in Alberta’s history.”
“This is an attack on teachers, on public education, on all workers and their unions, and on democracy itself. We unequivocally condemn it,” he said.
“Forcing teachers to go back to the same crowded classrooms and failing education system doesn’t solve any of the problems.”
When asked about Nenshi’s remarks, Smith defended the legislation as being necessary to return students to classrooms.
“When you get to a point where irreparable harm is being caused to kids, that’s where we have to draw a line.”
She said she is still hoping that a weekend deal could be reached, though the teachers and government have yet to resume formal bargaining.
Thousands rallied at the legislature ahead of Thursday’s return of MLAs in support of the striking teachers, who will enter the fourth week of their job action next week.
In a statement, the Alberta Teachers’ Association said it is aware of the pending back-to-work legislation and characterized the current situation as a product of years of underfunding.
“We remain prepared to negotiate solutions that include a student-teacher ratio. Now it’s the government’s turn to take up the challenge of solving these serious issues in co-operation with teachers who want to support their students as best as they can,” the ATA said.
