
October 2, 2025
October 2, 2025
During the month of September, I heard from a lot of constituents concerned about a potential teachers strike. The UCP should not be surprised by this, after years of failing to properly plan for this contract negotiation. The UCP government is now spending a lot of time (and our money) on a media campaign trying to explain to us why they won’t invest more . in education for our kids.
Whatever the government says in the coming weeks, the fact remains: Alberta invests less per student than any other province. It is penny wise and pound foolish. Until that changes, until we reach the Canadian average at minimum, everything the government says is disingenuous spin. They haven’t done their part.
The UCP is projecting a $6.5 billion deficit this year, despite $16 billion in expected resource revenue. Their unwillingness to invest in public education is not about balancing the government budget. The current price of oil cannot be what determines our future investment in our kids and it is not a legitimate reason for the provincial government to underfund public education in Alberta. Publicly funded education is, and always will be, the most important investment made by an Alberta provincial government.
In Alberta, educating our children in kindergarten to grade 12 is not something you have to pay for as an individual or a family. It’s something we pay for together as a province. We have the wealth and resources for it to be the best available education option in the world. This is how it has been since our province was formed. It is how we want it to be, as we invest for better days ahead.
An educated workforce is crucial for economic development and competitiveness, leading to a more skilled and productive population overall. Education is a public good we pay for because a more educated society benefits everyone through increased economic prosperity and innovation. Public funding ensures that all children, regardless of their family's income, ethnicity, race, or learning needs, have access to a quality education.
The provincial government has spent an awful lot of our money and time trying to explain their position on most of their unpopular priorities. Especially when they’re pursuing policies and decisions that the majority of Albertans do not support. That seems to be the case with the negotiation between the provincial government and Alberta’s teachers.
The UCP did not campaign on what they’re currently doing: spending over $1 billion to create an Alberta provincial police force, inviting foreign companies to mine coal from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, proposing to withdraw from the CPP, and funding education to the lowest level per student in Canada. It is an embarrassing time for Alberta, the economic engine of Canada.
Remember, Alberta is something that we make. It is something we invest in and work on everyday. The trajectory for our province is not inevitable. We choose our direction forward. We just need a competent, ethical provincial government that represents the priorities of Albertans.
Join me and other Alberta NDP MLAs this Sunday at the Fight for Public Education Rally at the Alberta Legislature.