Dear Premier Danielle Smith,

Alberta’s public-sector unions are undermining democracy—hijacking classrooms, bullying taxpayers, and funneling forced dues into radical activism.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) escalated this overreach with a province-wide strike from October 6 to 29, 2025, disrupting education for over 730,000 students and forcing the invocation of the notwithstanding clause to restore order. ATA members have also aligned with a recall petition against Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides—launched October 23, 2025, and the first under the amended Recall Act—through rallies and door-knocking in his riding, amid disputes over funding and curriculum policies, including gender ideology in education. These actions followed—and appear linked to—their vocal opposition to the governments removal of sexually explicit materials from school libraries, a policy responding to parental advocacy to shield children from inappropriate content.

Compounding this, the ATA has made significant investments, approximately $1.5 million, in recent municipal elections—endorsing candidates and organizing for trustee races—to influence school board outcomes, prioritizing ideological priorities over core educational needs. These actions—disrupting learning, funding partisan efforts, and challenging elected officials—threaten public institutions and Alberta families. 

Saskatchewan and Ontario offer proven models: Saskatchewan’s Bill 85 mandated financial transparency, while Ontario’s Bill 160 stabilized education governance.

The time has come for Alberta to safeguard our children and our democracy. I therefore urge immediate action:

• Require opt-in consent for all political spending of union dues—echoing Saskatchewan’s transparency model to prevent misuse of taxpayer funds.
• Advance Right to Work legislation—empowering individual choice in union membership, free from compelled ideological support.
• Mandate comprehensive public audits of union finances—ensuring accountability and exposing any diversion to non-educational activism.
• Appoint independent reformers to education boards and tribunals—prioritizing parental and community voices, as Ontario achieved through structured oversight.

These measured reforms will restore balance, protect vulnerable students, and reaffirm that unions serve workers, not advance divisive agendas. Albertans—and Canadians nationwide—deserve leadership that upholds these values. I respectfully call on you to act decisively.

Sincerely,