Right now, Alberta teachers are bracing for a province-wide strike over wages, overcrowded classrooms, and the lack of in-class support, among other grievances. It’s a fight they never should have to wage.
But imagine an Alberta where these struggles don’t exist. Where teachers are valued, classrooms are manageable, and every student gets the support they need. That future is possible in a Sovereign Alberta. By keeping our wealth here at home, we can pay teachers what they’re worth, reduce class sizes, hire the assistants and specialists our children deserve, and end the cycle of strikes once and for all.
We asked APP supporter and teacher Tanya Clemens to express how she sees the future of teaching in an Independent Alberta.
by Tanya Clemens
As someone who has spent years in Alberta classrooms, I know the challenges teachers face every single day.
Right now, teachers are in tough negotiations because our classrooms are overcrowded, their pay hasn’t kept up with inflation, and the supports for kids just aren’t there. And if it comes to a strike, that means teachers will lose part of their salary; fighting for things that should have been addressed years ago.
Here’s the reality: Alberta’s student population has grown by 90,000 in just five years – the size of a whole new school division – but without the staff or resources to match. Classrooms are stretched to the breaking point, and complexity is rising every year. More learning needs, more behavioural challenges, more emotional support required; but the number of adults in classrooms hasn’t kept up.
Meanwhile, Ottawa drains $20–25 billion a year out of Alberta. $20-$25 billion hone, with no services in exchange. That’s about $6,000 for every Albertan. That’s money that never reaches our schools and our students. On an average teacher’s salary, sovereignty could mean thousands of dollars more in your pocket every year.
In a sovereign Alberta, we could:
- Pay teachers what they’re worth.
- Reduce class sizes by controlling immigration and matching growth with real investment.
- Hire more skilled educational assistants and specialists so teachers aren’t left alone in complex classrooms.
- Ensure money allocated to school divisions actually reaches where it matters most: our students.
- And guarantee no teacher has to lose weeks of pay just to demand the basics.
Teachers already give their evenings, their weekends, and even their own money, because we love our students. But imagine what more we could do if Alberta kept its wealth here and built an education system that truly valued teachers, parents and kids.
A better-funded, teacher-supported education system isn’t just a dream. With sovereignty, it’s possible.
Show Your Commitment to Alberta Independence
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Together, we can make this image a lasting part of Alberta’s story.
The Alberta Prosperity Project supports Alberta’s sovereignty and independence to protect jobs, reduce political control, and improve our future.