From Trump to Ford to Smith: the attack on public education

 

 On Tuesday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith invoked the notwithstanding clause to override Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms  in order to  force Alberta  teachers back to work, it wasn’t just an assault on Alberta educators — it was a warning to all of us.

Smith’s move follows a dangerous playbook that starts with Donald Trump and has been adopted by politicians like Ontario’s Doug Ford and Education Minister Paul Calandra: blame teachers, divide the public, and dismantle public education while the wealthiest people in society walk away richer than ever.

Let’s be honest — the problem isn’t teachers. It’s billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Canadians like Galen Weston and the Thompson family, whose corporations hoard profits while working families struggle to afford rent, groceries, or braces for their kids. The federal Liberal government even dropped its promise to tax capital gains of the wealthiest Canadians. But instead of confronting that reality, politicians like Smith and Ford distract the public by demonizing educators — the very people who nurture critical thinking and community in our classrooms.

A friend of mine, a teacher in Alberta, told me that even without a strike fund or paycheque for a month, over 90% of their colleagues still voted to strike. Their courage was breathtaking. The government’s response? Legislate them back to work and strip their constitutional right to bargain collectively. It was a calculated act of cruelty — and a political message: “Don’t you dare stand up.”

This is what happens when political leaders fear solidarity. They manufacture outrage, pit neighbour against neighbour, and weaponize “culture wars” to turn public attention away from their own corruption and corporate giveaways. Whether it’s Trump blaming immigrants, Ford attacking “woke” educators, or Smith trampling union rights, the goal is the same — to divide and distract while the ultra-rich cash in.

But history shows what happens when working people push back. In 2022, Ontario’s education workers faced the same authoritarian tactic when Doug Ford used the notwithstanding clause to crush their strike. Workers and parents across Canada rose up in outrage, and within days, Ford was forced to retreat. The lesson is simple: when we act together, we win.

That solidarity is what teachers and education workers across this country share — a belief that strong public schools are the backbone of democracy. They’re where children learn to question, to imagine, to see one another’s humanity. That’s precisely why right-wing governments target them first. Because a population that can think critically is harder to control.

Here in Ontario, we’re seeing the same slow creep toward centralized power. Ford has already stripped oversight from school boards in Toronto and hinted at doing the same province-wide. It’s a dangerous erosion of local democracy — the same anti-public logic Danielle Smith just used to silence Alberta’s teachers.

As Ontario educators prepare for bargaining in 2026, we can’t afford to wait for the next attack. We need teachers connecting with each other in every space possible — in our staff room chats, our WhatsApp groups, our Facebook pages, and our morning coffees — staying informed, talking about what’s happening, and deepening our solidarity with parents and communities. Campaigns like Fund Our Schools and Adopt a Blue Riding help build that kind of grassroots power — linking our everyday classroom conversations to the larger fight for justice and democracy.

Because democracy doesn’t defend itself. We do.

And when we stand shoulder to shoulder — teachers, parents, and working people — there’s nothing Ford, Smith, or Trump can do to stop us from winning the schools, the democracy, and the future our kids deserve.

 

 

 

 

Nigel Barriffe (he/him) is a dad, public school teacher, and singer songwriter