In a scene that perfectly captured Alberta’s approach to “work ethic,” Premier Danielle Smith invoked the Constitution’s nuclear option to force teachers back into classrooms—then promptly boarded a plane out of the country.
While the legislature debated Bill 2, the “Back to School Act,” Smith was reportedly taxiing down a runway, bound for Saudi Arabia to discuss “energy and technology investments,” which sounds better than “awkward timing.”
The government framed the move as decisive leadership, though critics noted it looked more like a substitute teacher leaving mid-lesson. “We’re ensuring students get back to learning,” a spokesperson said, “and so is the premier, about oil.”
Smith’s trip will include meetings in the UAE, where temperatures and tempers are expected to run equally high. She’ll return Nov. 5, hopefully before the next constitutional clause needs to be invoked, or another flight booked.
