Alberta government expected to table Back to School Act today

The Alberta government is expected to table legislation Monday that, if passed, could force teachers to return to their classrooms as early as this week, some experts say.

The introduction of Bill 2, also known as the Back to School Act, was foreshadowed last week through an order paper posted on the Alberta legislature's website.

An order paper lays out motions that government members and MLAs intend to make during a legislative sitting.

The legislation would come three weeks after Alberta teachers walked off the job on Oct. 6. The historic provincewide strike came after months of negotiations and two failed deals with the province.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) — representing the roughly 51,000 striking public, Catholic and francophone teachers — has highlighted the need to address major issues, including salaries, large class sizes, classroom complexities and a lack of resources.

Jason Foster, a labour relations professor at Athabasca University, said the government hasn’t been entirely clear on the details of the bill.

Foster believes the bill will make the strike illegal and will force teachers back to work, which would send the unresolved issues to an arbitrator who will decide the final contract and its parameters, he said.

He added that the government might institute additional penalties if teachers defy the orders.

If the bill is passed before Tuesday, Foster predicts that teachers may be forced to return to classrooms as early as Thursday.

A statement from Finance Minister Nate Horner's office said the government would pass the legislation on Monday with the intent to get students back in school as early as possible.

CBC News also requested comment from Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides and government House leader Joseph Schow about how quickly the government plans to pass the bill. It had not received a response by the time of publication.

ATA president Jason Schilling said Friday that the union had no knowledge of the details of the bill.

If the bill does not address the major issues affecting Alberta teachers, he said, the union may consider launching a legal challenge — something the union has done before. 

In 2002, Alberta teachers launched a legal challenge after the Ralph Klein government passed emergency legislation ordering teachers back to work. Teachers won that case.