Alberta teachers head to court seeking injunction against back-to-work law

November 20, 2025

RED FM News Desk

Alberta’s teachers are in court today asking a judge to take urgent action against a provincial law that ordered them back to work.

Lawyers for the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) will request that the court temporarily suspend all or part of the legislation passed three weeks ago by Premier Danielle Smith’s government. That bill ended a provincewide strike involving 51,000 teachers.

The ATA wants the law paused while the courts fully examine the legal and constitutional issues at stake. The legislation not only forced teachers back into classrooms but also imposed a collective bargaining agreement previously rejected by rank-and-file members. It further invoked the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to block legal challenges.

Teachers argue the clause was improperly applied.

While the clause overrides certain Charter rights, Smith has maintained the government had to act, saying the prolonged strike was harming students’ social, educational, and emotional well-being.