EDMONTON — Two Alberta cabinet ministers say money was a key factor in the United Conservative government's decision to use the notwithstanding clause of the Charter to circumvent teachers' rights and stop a province-wide strike.
Infrastructure Minister Martin Long says in a letter to constituents the government could not risk allowing the labor dispute to go to arbitration and putting the province at risk of paying out hundreds of millions of dollars.
Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, asked by reporters about Long's letter and the potential costs, says elected leaders, not third parties, should have the final say on decisions that have significant political and financial implications.
Premier Danielle Smith's government used the provision to defend against a legal challenge to a bill it passed in late October aimed at ending a three-week teachers' strike across the province.
At the time, Smith linked the decision to use the clause to student health, saying the prolonged strike jeopardized the mental, social and educational well-being of children in the class.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2025.
