Joint statement from education leaders opposed to the use of the notwithstanding clause

From May 31 to June 2, Alberta hosted over 20 leaders from educational organizations across the nation. The annual National Presidents’ Meeting provides a forum for all provinces to share their perspectives on the immediate needs of public education in Canada.

At this year’s gathering, held at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, topics ranging from collective bargaining to violence in the classroom were on the agenda. Special attention was focussed on a troubling issue Alberta teachers have firsthand experience with—the notwithstanding clause. As a result, the following joint statement on the repeated use of this controversial clause was released on Tuesday, June 2.