Alberta teachers say provincewide strike aims to fix underfunded system in crisis

Alberta's teachers are off the job and the head of their union says it's about taking a stand to fix a cycle of underfunding and overcrowding. Jason Schilling says Alberta is failing to adequately fund education, the system is in ``crisis,'' and teachers owe it to students and future students to do what they can to change that.

The 51,000 members of the Alberta Teachers' Association went on strike as promised this morning to back demands for a better deal.

The labour action impacts more than 700,000 students across 2,500 public, separate and francophone schools.

Premier Danielle Smith, speaking to reporters in Montreal, urged teachers to come back to the bargaining table, saying the two sides are not that far apart.

The teachers recently voted against the government's latest offer, which included hiring 3,000 more teachers over three years to address crowded classrooms.