Very Little Support for Bill 15 Changes According to New Opinion Polls

Just 3 per cent of Albertans feel that teacher conduct is a top issue in education, and as few as 13 per cent support the outcomes proposed by Bill 15— this according to new results from public and member opinion polling conducted by Environics Research on behalf of the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

The Minister of Education is executing a massive power grab through Bill 15, but Albertans don’t trust the government to uphold standards for the teaching profession. The minister has picked the worst possible option for regulating teachers, according to the views of Albertans.

—ATA president Jason Schilling

Poll results also find that:

• Just 13 per cent of Albertans and 7 per cent of teachers feel that the ATA should have professional functions removed.
• Only 17 per cent of Albertans and 2 per cent of teachers trust the government most to uphold standards for the teaching profession.
• A majority of Albertans and four in five teachers trust the ATA most to uphold teaching standards.
• Seven in ten Albertans and nine in ten teachers agree that the ATA is looking out for the best interests of students.
• Fifty-seven per cent of Albertans and 90 per cent of teachers disapprove of the government’s handling of K–12 education.

Bill 15 removes professional functions from the ATA and consolidates them under the control of the minister. The process will be highly susceptible to political interference and this polling shows that Albertans don’t trust her with the power she’s giving herself. After the fumbling and bumbling over curriculum, COVID and funding, there is no surprise that Albertans have no confidence in the government on this issue either. Bill 15 must be stopped.

—ATA president Jason Schilling

Polling results are from representative surveys of 800 adult Albertans and 825 ATA members conducted between January 27 and February 17, 2022. The margin of error for the teacher poll is ±3.4 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

The Alberta Teachers’ Association, as the professional organization of teachers, promotes and advances public education, safeguards standards of professional practice and serves as the advocate for its 46,000 members.