We Take Action

We're nearing up on almost two weeks since the provincial government used the notwithstanding clause to send striking teachers back to work. Teachers overwhelmingly rejected an unfair contract, striking for better teaching and learning conditions; government forced them to accept the contract and return to work. The decision has sent a chilling effect across our communities, making us wonder: if this government is able to pull what many called the "nuclear option" on teachers, then what, or whom, will they use it on next?

The right to strike is the most powerful tool that workers have to exercise agency in our workplaces. Without it, workers like teachers have no ability to compel the type of contractual concessions to make their work safe, successful, and sustainable. With the power of the strike, workers have won almost every standard that makes work today just and equitable; weekends, paid leave, overtime, and safety standards. In other words, labour victories tend to build the common good.

When governments force strikers back to work, with or without the notwithstanding clause, they signal a contempt and disregard for the concerns and wellbeing of thousand of people. In our case, the government also signals that our constitutional rights are up for grabs and violable. I recommend reading Bishop Steven London's reflection here.

A moment like this compels us to action. So what are we to do, as a wider civil society? While we hear chatters of general strikes and action, we might also contend with the feeling that we are duly unprepared for this moment. We don't take collective action as civil society, how will we know to act when the moment arises? That action, at its moments of highest and lowest stakes, is actions we get to practice and sharpen as an Alliance.

"We used to solve problems together". I've been thinking about this quote that my friend Jason shared during a one-to-one a few weeks ago. Jason and I both work in the environmental sector, him as a researcher and myself as a climate organizer. We were reflecting on how removed our organizations have become from decision-making. And while the environment is a place where decisions are mostly made by the "haves" over the "have-nots", we know that it doesn't have to be this way. We've solved problems with decision-makers before, but those days feel distant.