The Alberta government’s willingness to invoke the notwithstanding clause to force compliance ended the strike, but it also exposed limitations to the power of organized labour. What choice do Albertans have now but to respond?

Talk of a general strike has begun to spread through the province. The Alberta Federation of Labour stands at the forefront of this call to action, with President Gil McGowan voicing his desire to treat an attack on the rights of some workers as an attack on the rights of all. This idea of mass coordinated action has been circulating with growing eagerness among union leaders and frustrated workers alike, demonstrated for example by the gathering of labour supporters at Ironworkers Hall in Edmonton.