{"id":341512,"date":"2025-10-29T20:19:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T20:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/341512\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T20:19:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T20:19:13","slug":"alberta-unions-to-respond-as-teachers-forced-back-to-work-via-notwithstanding-clause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/341512\/","title":{"rendered":"Alberta unions to respond as teachers forced back to work via notwithstanding clause"},"content":{"rendered":"

A coalition of Alberta unions is set to announce steps to fight the use of the notwithstanding clause<\/a> in Alberta.<\/p>\n

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On Wednesday, Alberta Federation of Labour<\/a> president Gil McGowan will speak on behalf of the Alberta labour movement in response to Bill 2, the Back to School Act, and the invocation of the notwithstanding clause by the provincial government this week.<\/p>\n

Global News will livestream that 1:30 p.m. MT presser at the top of this story.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The notwithstanding clause \u2014 or Section 33 of the\u00a0Charter of Rights and Freedoms<\/a> \u2014 gives provincial legislatures or Parliament the ability, through the passage of a law, to override certain portions of the Charter for up to five years.<\/p>\n

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the strike \u2014 the largest in Alberta history \u2014 was causing irreparable harm and the government had no other choice.<\/p>\n

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The core dispute with teachers centred around their demands for tangible fixes to address overcrowded classrooms and faltering supports for students with special needs.<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s government has promised to hire 3,000 more teachers and address class sizes and complexities with a panel.<\/p>\n

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The passage of Bill 2 early Tuesday morning ended the three-week strike over wages and working conditions that left more than 740,000 students out of class.<\/p>\n

The bill includes steep fines for non-compliance: up to $500 a day for individuals and up to $500,000 a day for the union.<\/p>\n

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Earlier this week, the AFL said if governments use the clause to solve labour disputes, unions have no bargaining power left.<\/p>\n

Other Alberta unions have echoed the AFL\u2019s stance.\u00a0The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) said it stands in solidarity with the Alberta Teachers\u2019 Association.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government\u2019s decision is an ideological failure,\u201d said AUPE president Sandra Azocar. \u201cThe government has failed our children, our teachers, and all Albertans.\u201d<\/p>\n

The AUPE is Western Canada\u2019s largest union, representing more than 100,000 people who work in the province\u2019s public sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy revoking the teachers\u2019 rights under the Charter, the Human Rights Act, and the Bill of Rights, this government has set a dangerous precedent.<\/p>\n

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