MRFA Advocacy Week – 2026

As we navigate an increasingly complex landscape in post-secondary education, our collective voice is more vital than ever. I am writing to announce that MRFA Advocacy Week 2026 will take place from March 2 – 6, 2026. This year’s theme is “Members as Advocates.”

Our Advocacy Committee’s goal is to equip you with the tools and information necessary to champion some of the values of public post-secondary education. Over the course of the week, we will be highlighting critical issues ranging from funding cuts—where we have seen 33% of post-secondary funding cut between 2019 and 2023 —to the essential defense of academic freedom as a pillar of democratic debate.

Schedule of Events & Daily Actions

Each day of Advocacy Week, MRFA Members will receive a one-page infographic via email focusing on a specific issue, accompanied by a direct call to action—whether that is writing an Op-Ed, contacting your MLA, or engaging in dialogue with students.

The Daily Themes:

• Fair Employment: Highlighting the reality that nearly 50% of instructors at MRU are contract faculty, many of whom experience precarious work and must re-apply for their roles annually.
• Academic Freedom: Reaffirming that universities must remain forums for inquiry free from political or corporate interference.
• The Mintz Report: Analyzing how proposed funding models risk increasing the marketization of education while failing to address provincial funding cuts.
• Book Bans: Defending intellectual freedom.
• Bill 18: addressing government overreach in research funding.

Advocacy Week Event Highlight: Panel on Book Ban

Launch of the AFL’s Worker Agenda – Feb 28, 2026 at 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm (In Calgary – Register Here) On February 28, the AFL is launching a protest campaign called “Fight Back Now!” – the goal of which is to organize escalating regional protests leading to a provincewide “Day of Action.” The protests will give our members and other Albertans a platform to voice their opposition to the government’s attacks on worker rights, public health care and democracy, among other things. The demonstrations will also present us with a forum to demand action on things that Albertans are REALLY concerned about – like affordability, quality public services and economic security.
RSVP now!

Save the Date: Provincial Day of Action

Please mark your calendars for May 1 and May 29, 2026. The former will be a day of action in recognition of May Day: commemorating the historic and ongoing struggles and gains made by workers and the labour movement. The latter, May 29, will be a Provincial Day of Action organized by the Common Front, the Alberta Federation of Labour and supported by various other labour groups in Alberta. On this day, workers across Alberta will come together to demand that the government prioritize fair work and robust public funding. More details will follow, but we need every member ready to stand together: Please put these dates in your calendar now!

Your Role

• Be an Advocate: take a few minutes each day during Advocacy Week to read the materials and take one of the suggested actions.
• Invite students to attend the Book Ban discussion on May 5 at 12pm in EL1441 (The poster is available here if you would like to share it with your students)
• Save the Dates for May 1 and May 29 actions. Once details are confirmed, calendar invitations will be sent to all members. Please accept the invite if you are able to participate.

Whether it is defending academic freedom and institutional autonomy, pushing back against the removal of the tuition cap, or advocating for contract faculty stability, your participation makes a difference!

Regards, 

Nazak Birjandifar Advocacy Officer Mount Royal Faculty Association