By Alexander Delorme, Communications Staff
It’s a budget all about bargaining.
The Government of Alberta has released its budget for 2025-2026, a budget that fails to invest in the public services Albertans rely on and AUPE members deliver.
“It’s simple math, really,” says AUPE Executive Secretary-Treasurer Justin Huseby. “As Alberta’s population grows and the price of everything rises, the government must increase spending on services to keep up. But it did not, and it never does.”
The government’s math is far from simple, however. Something about Budget 2025 – and the $5.2 billion deficit – just does not add up.
When you look at how the government is moving money around, it seems like they are creating an artificial deficit in order to plead poverty at the bargaining table.
“It does not look like the government is doing what is best for Albertans,” says Huseby. "It looks like the government wants to create the image of tough times so it can cry poor in collective bargaining.”
“This is a disappointing budget, but AUPE members should not feel discouraged. Instead, let this budget inspire you. Let it inspire you to get more involved with AUPE, talk union with your coworkers, and prepare for the fight – and maybe the strike – ahead.”
Over 82,000 AUPE members are in bargaining right now. Whether you work for the government directly or in health care, education, boards or agencies, the government influences how things go at the bargaining table.
Simply put, the government did not budget for the increased wages, benefits, and staffing levels that AUPE members deserve. We always knew bargaining would be challenging, but this budget confirms we must take action to force the government to give us what we want – including action on the strike line, if necessary.
“Your employer never gives you everything you want. It's never that easy,” says Huseby. “But if this new budget made one thing clear, it is that we need to fight the government for every inch.”
The government also released a three-year fiscal plan, which conveniently covers Premier Smith’s remaining three years of power.
The plan says we're in for deficits of $5.2, $2.4, and $2 billion over the next three years — which the government mostly blames on low oil and gas revenues as well as the threat of tariffs from Premier Smith’s new friends the United States.
“As Alberta’s population grows and the price of everything rises, the government must increase spending on services to keep up. But it did not, and it never does.”
The government has a history of underestimating revenues, however. In Budget 2024, the government anticipated a small surplus of $400 million. In reality, the surplus turned out to be $5.8 billion.
Nearly every department would move mountains for more resources. Many Ministries suffer from short-staffing and rising workloads, such as Children and Family Services, which is not receiving any staffing increases.
Post-secondary institutions across the province, from the University of Calgary to Norquest and beyond, will face significant challenges because of funding that adds up to cuts if you count rising demand and unstable revenue sources.
Small increases here and there do not keep up with the province’s growing needs, such as changes to Forestry and Parks that will not get us any closer to the true number of Wildland Firefighters and Lookouts we need to keep us safe.
“This is a disappointing budget, but AUPE members should not feel discouraged,” says Huseby. “Instead, let this budget inspire you. Let it inspire you to get more involved with AUPE, talk union with your coworkers, and prepare for the fight – and maybe the strike – ahead.”