EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says absent a deal to end a provincewide teachers strike, her government will introduce back-to-work legislation Monday.
Smith says with the strike deep into its third week, the hardship facing students and families is intolerable, forcing her government to step in.
“We were dismayed that it came to this point,” Smith told reporters at a news conference Thursday.
“We think that the offer we put forward is fair,” she added.
“We hope that there’ll be an opportunity to have a breakthrough, but barring that, we’ve got to get the kids back to class.”
Smith’s United Conservative government has already laid the required procedural groundwork to introduce the back-to-work bill.
It has added to the legislature order paper that it has the option, should it wish to do so, to introduce the Back to School Act, with changes to debate rules to allow for quick passage through the house.
The strike is affecting 51,000 teachers and 750,000 students in public, separate and francophone schools across Alberta.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2025.
