Nenshi blasts ‘unconstitutional’ Bill 2

By Lethbridge Herald on October 29, 2025.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald

The UCP government’s passing of Bill 2 is a “nuclear option,” Opposition leader Naheed Nenshi said after a marathon session of the Alberta Legislative Assembly that ran into the small hours of Tuesday morning.

“They refused to solve a problem of their own making,” Nenshi told media later Tuesday. I”nstead, they went straight to the nuclear option, in what is the most cowardly act I have ever seen from any government.”

Nenshi blamed the Alberta Teachers Association strike on the UCP during the Legislative Assembly, when a government makes such a major mistake, “It’s either incompetence or malice. And I’ll give Premier Smith credit, she got the double play.”

He pointed out Smith was not present at the Legislative Assembly after Bill 2 was introduced. She left on a trip to Saudi Arabia, which Nenshi called a sign of cowardice. 

“Not only did she refuse to negotiate with teachers, and she refuse to end this weeks ago using the power she already had, but she didn’t even show up for the debate.”

Nenshi said he believes Smith to be the first premier in Alberta’s history to knowingly pass a law which is unconstitutional.

“And she didn’t even show up. She couldn’t be bothered to delay her Saudi Arabian junket. Maybe she needs to learn more about authoritarianism. She’s a pretty good study.”

Students need to be in school, teachers want to be teaching, parents want their kids in school and the kids should have been in school the last four weeks, said Nenshi. But Bill 2 wasn’t the way to achieve that.

“Alberta’s New Democrats are outraged by the dangerous precedent set today by this government, and all Albertans should be too. Rather than engaging in good-faith negotiations, the UCP introduced back-to-work legislation that directly attacks teachers and their union,” said Nenshi. 

He said the bill imposes punitive fines, enforces an already rejected contract that fails to address worsening classroom conditions, and most egregiously, invokes the notwithstanding clause against workers.

He vowed that the NDP would continue to stand up for the rights and freedoms of Albertans and fight against the government’s” blatant disregard for democracy.”

“They think this ended at 2:30 in the morning last night. They think this is over. It is not over. Because last night was the beginning of the end for this government. Last night was Albertans waking up to who this government really is, last night was the vale dropping and the big, strong, tough premier showing what a coward she truly is.”