A friend’s wife recently met with the MLA for Lethbridge East, the so-called honourable Nathan Neudorf. Here are the notes she shared on Facebook about the meeting:
Reflections from my recent Meeting with Nathan Neudorf
On November 10, I sat down with MLA Nathan Neudorf to discuss my concerns about Public Education and his vote in favour of legislating teachers back to work using the Notwithstanding Clause.
I’ll be honest—I wasn’t sure how the meeting would go. But I was grateful for the chance to speak directly with him.
During the meeting, I shared many concerns (which I will list below), but the main concern regarded the use of the Notwithstanding Clause.
Nathan’s explanation: He told me he wasn’t personally in favour of the clause, but said that “due to the Democratic Process” he had to vote yes with his party. When I pressed him, he admitted that if he voted against, he would be removed from the UCP.
My response: That’s not the Democratic Process—that’s Party Policy/Solidarity. Democracy means representing the people who not only elected you, but who are in your constituency, not simply following party orders. If Neudorf had stood up for what was right, he could have remained as an independent MLA and kept his integrity intact.
As someone who teaches about democracy and Canada’s government systems, I find it deeply troubling when elected officials confuse party loyalty with democratic responsibility.
A Quick Refresher on Democracy (for anyone who needs it. Maybe some MLA’s out there?):
• Democracy = power of the people (Greek “demos” + “kratia”).
-which Nicolaides should be aware of. Just saying.• In Canada, we use representative democracy: citizens elect MLAs to represent them, not their party bosses.
True democratic participation includes:
- Voting
- Paying taxes & jury duty
- Petitioning & protesting
- Staying informed
The Charter of Rights protects our right to protest, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly—unless a government invokes the Notwithstanding Clause to override those rights.
Why this matters: Democracy only works if citizens are informed and engaged. Without proper funding for Public Education, we risk raising generations of voters who don’t understand their rights—or how easily those rights can be taken away.
Democracy isn’t perfect, but it gives us the power to demand change. That power is lost when elected officials put party loyalty above the people they represent.
My takeaway: I want MLAs who understand democracy, have the courage to stand up for what’s right, and who put integrity above party politics. Albertans deserve nothing less.
The Gist of My Concerns Raised with MLA Nathan Neudorf
- Government tried to strip away teachers’ pensions.
- Removed ATA’s disciplinary measures that were working.
- Rolled out a flawed curriculum with zero resources—teachers left to buy/create their own.
- Cut PUF funding for children with severe needs in public schools, but kept it for private schools.
- Changed funding models so schools aren’t funded based on actual students in classrooms.
- Forced mandatory assessments (Bill 6)
- For Kindergarten–Grade 5:
- Not designed by experts
- No diagnosis or supports provided
- 30–90 minutes per child, no funding for subs
- Kindergarten assessments required, even though KG isn’t mandatory
- Used the Notwithstanding Clause to legislate teachers back instead of bargaining in good faith.
- Undermining teachers by lowering education requirements, risking quality and salaries.
- Ignored class sizes and complexity until now, after excluding them from negotiations.
- Alberta = highest funding for private schools + lowest funding for public schools in Canada.
Bottom line: Alberta’s government is undermining teachers, underfunding public schools, and misrepresenting democracy. OUR KIDS DESERVE BETTER!
I tried to get a meeting with Nathan Neudorf myself but was told he was too booked up to meet at this time.
