Every child in Alberta has a fundamental human right to access education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2026 - Edmonton/Calgary

On Thursday evening, February 19, Premier Danielle Smith addressed Albertans and advised viewers to brace for an upcoming deficit budget. The Premier chooses to blame Alberta's economic volatility on immigrants, rather than owning her administration’s choices to actively and aggressively defund public education and healthcare despite an $8.3B 2024-2025 fiscal year surplus. It’s a predictable yet dangerous scapegoating tactic to deflect from her own administration’s fiscal mismanagement. 

“Using economic hardship as a cover to normalize racist and xenophobic barriers for newcomers is abhorrent. The Premier’s cowardly rhetoric of scapegoating immigrants, and proposing to ban newcomers from accessing education and healthcare is straight out of the far-right political playbook. Throughout history we have seen this dangerous xenophobia used to impose and justify austerity and wholesale defunding of public services while simultaneously discriminating against precarious residents.” - Medeana Moussa, Executive Director

Instead of expanding housing, social services, healthcare, education and infrastructure to prepare for their Alberta is Calling campaign, the UCP government continuously destabilized public education by not funding for population growth and inflation over six consecutive annual budgets. Now, instead of owning up to their mismanagement, the UCP are fanning the flames of hate and ushering in widespread racial division.

“Every child has a fundamental human right to access education in Alberta, regardless of status, race, background, ability, or birthplace. Article 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Canada has ratified, states that every child has a right to a free public education. Danielle Smith’s racist rhetoric is not welcome in Alberta, not welcome in Canada. We refuse to follow in the footsteps of Trump’s America where far-right politicians stoke anger and hatred through disinformation and immigrant-blaming.” - Medeana Moussa

The Premier must stop with the racially charged deflection and instead properly fund our education system to restore supports so our system can meaningfully welcome, nurture, and educate all children who enter our schools’ doors. Alberta has fallen to last place for base instructional funding and our schools have lost core student supports, exacerbating challenges of inclusion and community-building. The most vulnerable students that Smith is targeting, including newcomers, refugees, and children with complex needs, deserve compassionate and resourced wraparound and integrated educational supports to thrive in Alberta.

“If a child lives in Alberta, they have a right to go to school, full stop.” - Medeana Moussa
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Media inquiries:
Wing Li (she/her)
Communications Director
yegsosalberta [at] gmail.com