Tuesday, October 28: In the early morning hours the UCP government’s Back to School Act (Bill 2) is passed, with classes expected to resume Wednesday. The bill imposes a four-year agreement that was rejected by 90 per cent of Alberta teachers last month and sets fines of up to $500/day for teachers and $500,000/day for unions and locals defying the back-to-work order. The government invokes the notwithstanding clause, which protects the agreement from court challenges. In a statement, the Alberta Teachers’ Association calls the measure “a reckless and historic abuse of power.”
Read more: Stripping Away Rights… Using the Notwithstanding Clause
October 28: Premier Danielle Smith misses the Bill 2 vote. She flies to Saudi Arabia to promote “Alberta’s investment opportunities, energy expertise and agricultural products” and will be gone until November 5.
Read more: The Politics of Salaries: How Much Should We Pay MLAs?
October 28: Thomas Lukaszuk, organizer of the Forever Canadian petition asking “Do you agree that Alberta should remain within Canada?,” announces they have collected over 456,000 signatures. Elections Alberta has 60 days to verify the signatures; if at least 294,000 are valid, Elections Alberta will submit the petition to the speaker of the legislative assembly.
Read more: Is a Referendum a Good Way to Make a Decision?
Wednesday, October 29: In response to the UCP government’s use of the notwithstanding clause, Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, says workers now have a common purpose—“to topple this government.” McGowan spoke on behalf of the Common Front, a coalition of unions in Alberta representing 400,000 private and public sector workers. The coalition is mobilizing around recall campaigns and initiatives such as the effort to end the public funding of private schools, and is “organizing towards the potential of a general strike in Alberta.”
Read more: Should Private Schools Get Public Funding?
The Week in Alberta is updated weekdays by 4:30pm MT.
