In a letter circulating on X this week, Alberta Infrastructure Minister Martin Long proudly explained that invoking the notwithstanding clause to force teachers back to work wasn’t just about restoring order in classrooms – it was about protecting taxpayers from the terrifying spectre of arbitration.
According to Long, an arbitrator would have “sought a middle ground,” a phrase his letter treats with the same alarm typically reserved for natural disasters or tax hikes. The compromise, he warned, could have cost “hundreds of millions – possibly billions,” an outcome the government deemed unacceptable on moral, fiscal, and ideological grounds.
Instead, the province opted for the far more efficient strategy of suspending Charter rights, ensuring teachers returned to work without any of the messy negotiation stuff.
Government officials say the move demonstrates Alberta’s unwavering commitment to responsible budgeting, swift action, and ensuring no neutral third party ever gets between them and a good old-fashioned constitutional override.
