"Alberta not only stripped away teachers' rights under the Charter sections to which the notwithstanding clause applies. They also revoked their rights under the Human Rights Act and the Bill of Rights. They told teachers that no human rights protections apply to them as workers. That's an appalling step for a government to take and sets a shameful precedent.
However, the most egregious part of this legislation might be Section 14, which goes even farther by banning the ability of teachers to even fight back in the courts for any reason. It goes far beyond and means that teachers would not only not be able to fight this on the basis of S.2 and 7-15 rights but also any and all constitutional or other legal grounds. This means that not only are they trying to suspend Charter rights but also any and all right to fight back in the courts against the legislation and even the collective agreement itself.
It not only strips the right to strike. It also strips the basic democratic right to have one's case heard by the law. It's a deep, deep violation of one of the most basic aspects of a free and fair society. When governments can not only take your rights away but also take away even the ability to go to court to fight back, you have no legal means left to resist.
People with no legal recourse to fairness tend to resort to other forms of resistance, including refusing to comply with unjust laws. I don't know what teachers will decide to do on Wednesday, but I certainly know the rest of us need to be standing up. This is a violation of all our fundamental rights."
