Dear friends,

Winter has arrived and with it comes festive times of celebration and tradition, but also time for reflection and stillness as we anticipate the start of a new year and new possibilities. This time of year can be hard for many. For me, I am reminded of how important it is that we reach out to our friends and neighbours and find joy in community.    

My Alberta NDP Caucus colleagues and I headed back to the Legislature at the end of October. On the first day of debate, the UCP government rammed through Bill 2, the Back to School Act, which forced teachers back into underfunded and overcrowded classrooms and removed their right to collective bargaining. Bill 2 also included, for the first time in Alberta’s history, preemptive use of the notwithstanding clause to bypass charter-protected rights of Albertans. 

With a government so willing to trample on human rights, it is fair to say we are living in a new alarming reality in Alberta. We are living under a government that has openly defied charter rights and abused its legislative power. We are living under a government that has overtly valued power over human rights, prioritized control over dialogue, and has demonstrated once again, that public education is not a priority. 

And while the legislative action of the government was shocking and unprecedented, the saddest part was watching students and teachers return to the same broken system. Alberta students are still the lowest funded in the country. There are no class size caps and not enough space. There is virtually no support for students with special needs, and teachers continue to shoulder the burden of this chronically underfunded system. None of this is okay.  

But what gives me hope is the response of Albertans. I’ve witnessed so many of you here in Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, and  across the province, rise up like never before. Students are organizing and people are attending enormous rallies at the Legislature. My inbox is flooded with hundreds of emails every day advocating for education, access to healthcare, human rights, and affordable housing. So many Albertans who’ve never been involved in politics before are reaching out for the first time. 

Keep speaking out, keep showing up, and keep staying hopeful. Because kids deserve better, our teachers deserve better, Albertans deserve better. And better is possible.

As always, please reach out at any time. I can’t wait to see you around the community. .

Janis Irwin, MLA for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood
Email: Edmonton.HighlandsNorwood@assembly.ab.ca
Phone: 780-414-0682