'Rebuild trust': Alberta education minister talks historic 2025 teachers strike, notwithstanding clause

Alberta’s largest teachers’ strike in history, recall petitions and repeated use of the notwithstanding clause.

Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides has been at the forefront of those issues saying 2025 was a year of both success and challenges, as the final months brought education system pressures — funding, class sizes and classroom complexity — into sharp focus after the UCP ordered teachers back to work under the notwithstanding clause.

“I know that there’s some more work that we need to do to rebuild trust with teachers and I intend to dedicate the next two years — or whatever time I have in the position of minister of education — to talk with our teachers and demonstrate that we are aligned in our vision and we do want the same things,” Nicolaides said.

Recall petition

Nicolaides has not only faced criticism from the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) for the government’s handling of contract negotiations, but his own constituents.

“I was extremely happy to receive their endorsement to continue on as their representative in the 2023 election and continue to work ethically and diligently until they say otherwise,” he said.

He was the first MLA to face a recall petition, and with Elections Alberta approving three more last week, 26 MLAs, — more than a quarter of the assembly — are now facing recall.

Nicolaides said he knows the applicant behind his recall efforts and maintains it was planned months earlier and not tied to the teachers’ strike, calling any such link “political expedience.”

Notwithstanding clause

During the six-week fall sitting, the province invoked the notwithstanding clause twice across four bills, including legislation that forced 51,000 striking teachers back to work on Oct. 27 after more than three weeks of job action.

Nicolaides defended the decision, saying his top priority was student well-being.

“I supported government’s direction to invoke the notwithstanding clause and legislate teachers back to work so that our students would not suffer the consequences. That doesn’t mean we end conversations about class sizes, classroom complexity,” he said.

The province passed Bill 9 during the fall sitting, using the notwithstanding clause to shield three laws affecting transgender people, including parental consent requirements in schools, limits on gender-affirming care for minors and a ban transgender girls in amateur female sports.

Nicolaides said the best interests of children will continue to be front and centre.

“There is that discretionary feature in the legislation; if a teacher or principal believes that a student may be struggling, or that their parents may have some challenges, they have to direct the student and provide them with appropriate supports, mental health and psychological support; that is always at the centre,” Nicolaides said.

Class size and complexity

Following the back-to-work order, the province struck an 11-member cabinet committee on class size and complexity, co-chaired by Nicolaides and Premier Danielle Smith, aimed at addressing long-standing ATA concerns over overcrowded classrooms, rising student needs, and teacher burnout.

While other provinces such as B.C. and Ontario enforce classroom caps, Alberta has not committed to doing so.

Nicolaides said the committee is more focused on classroom complexity.

“We’ve redoubled our efforts. I just had the third meeting of our classroom, class size and complexity cabinet meeting … and so that work continues as always and I’m confident we’ll deliver the results that Albertans expect to see,” he said.

Nicolaides said Albertans can expect further education reforms, citing special education standards he said are two decades out of date and a rework of how funding for specialized learning supports is distributed.

Rebuilding trust and running again

Nicolaides acknowledged lingering frustration and a loss of trust in Alberta’s education sector following the teachers’ strike, saying he intends to rebuild it. He said both teachers and the government share the goal of a well-funded, well-resourced system with manageable class sizes that delivers a “world-class” education.

“There may be a misunderstanding (about) the vision we have for our education system. I think it’s important to reinforce that we do want the same thing that our teachers want,” Nicolaides said.

“I firmly believe they are aligned with what teachers are looking for.”

With a provincial election scheduled for fall 2027 — potentially sooner — Nicolaides said he plans to speak with his family and constituents before making a decision on re-election in 2026.

“I thoroughly enjoy serving Albertans and I thoroughly enjoy the ability to move our province forward, and I would be extremely happy to continue that work,” Nicolaides said.

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ctran@postmedia.com

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