A local teacher and president of the local chapter of the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) says that new legislation creating a government-appointed commissioner to oversee disciplinary action against teachers is yet another attack on the teaching profession by the United Conservative Party (UCP) in a long line of similar legislative blows to teachers.
"We are so tired of being demonized by this government,” said Michelle Savoie, president of ATA Local 22. “This in another blow ... to the teachers of this province that work hard every day to teach our students and keep them safe.”
On March 31, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange introduced Bill 15, the Education (Reforming Teacher Profession Discipline) Amendment Act, in the Alberta Legislature.
In an embargoed news conference prior to the legislation’s introduction, LaGrange said this bill will create an Alberta Teaching Profession Commission and appoint a commissioner to oversee teacher and teacher leader misconduct complaints regardless of where teachers are employed.
“The result of this bill will be to have one legislative structure to govern matters of discipline for the entire profession by having one organization using a consistent, effective and efficient process,” she said.
“This new proposed approach for teacher professionalism will bring Alberta in line with comparable provinces and professions, such as nurses and social workers, where an arms-length organization oversees disciplinary matters.”
Noting that this legislation builds on the Students First Act introduced in 2021, LaGrange said the online teacher registry created through that previous act will be used to publicize details of all hearings, appeals and Ministry decisions where there is a finding of unprofessional conduct.
Furthermore, Alberta Education is introducing new requirements to require education stakeholders to report any situations where there may have been serious harm to a student to the police.
“As a former school board trustee, and since becoming Minister, I have heard heartbreaking stories of gross teacher misconduct. These situations have had devastating and long-lasting effects on students and their families,” LaGrange said.
“This bill is the culmination of work that I believe is long overdue to reform the discipline process, but above all … it is about student safety and putting students first.”
Previously, the role of overseeing conduct and competency complaints against teachers was handled by the Alberta Teachers Association, a role that LaGrange noted the union has filled for more than 80 years.
While this legislation does take that responsibility away from the ATA, LaGrange said the association will still have a role in terms of professional development and member-focused advocacy. The legislation also does not remove the ATA from its role in collective bargaining.
LaGrange indicated that concerns have been raised about the ATA acting as both a union and a disciplinary role for its members, and the potential for conflicts of interest that can arise from the ATA playing this dual role.
“I have heard this over and over again from current and former students, parents, teachers and teacher leaders. This simply cannot continue,” she said.
By moving to a commissioner model, Bill 15 balances the needs for an impartial and fair process with government’s desire to increase oversight to protect students and the public interest, LaGrange said.
She noted that the ongoing costs of establishing/operating the commission will be borne by her department, and the legislation lays out specific timelines for the commissioner to investigate complaints.
The commissioner will also have to submit an annual report outlining all the complaints they have investigated and the outcome of those complaints.
“This bill is the culmination of work that I believe is long overdue to reform the discipline process, but above all … it is about student safety and putting students first,” said LaGrange.
Following the introduction of the legislation, the ATA issued a release stating that Bill 15 is a vindictive of legislation designed to punish the teaching profession for standing up to the minister’s bad decisions and gross mishandling of public education.
The release also states that removing the ATA from its role in professional regulation fundamentally changes how the ATA operates within the education system and will have repercussions that will be felt in schools across the province.
“The ATA is a professional association and professionalism is the essence of our being. This bill strips out an integral piece of our professional identity and culture. It will change fundamentally the collaborative, collegial culture that has evolved here over decades and has contributed to Alberta’s success in education,” said ATA executive director Dennis Theobald.
In an e-mail, Savoie said this government has refused to work with the ATA, meet with them or acknowledge the good work the association does in all aspects of the education system.
“Thank goodness we know what we do is valued by our board, our students and our parents,” she said. “It’s very difficult to watch the planned destruction of our profession.”
Savoie encouraged Albertans to e-mail their MLA to ask why the UCP government was going back on its campaign promises of fiscal responsibility by creating a government-appointed body that will cost millions of dollars in order to perform a duty previously handled by the ATA at no cost to taxpayers.
“I have many concerns around this new bill … but I believe the costs associated with Bill 15 that the UCP will take on is something Albertans need to be concerned about as well, and this is something we haven’t heard the UCP address at all.”
