The president of the Alberta Federation of Labour has responded for a call to resign by the union that represents Lethbridge firefighters.
It was previously reported the Lethbridge Fire Fighters IAFF Local 237 had withdrawn from the AFL. A letter addressed to AFL President Gil McGowan, notifying him of the withdrawal, also included a call for him to resign from the position.
READ MORE: Lethbridge firefighters’ union leaves Alberta Federation of Labour
The Lethbridge union says the decision to leave was based off growing concerns about McGowan’s leadership and “the overall direction of the AFL.”
McGowan has issued a response to My Lethbridge Now.
“The AFL is a voluntary association of unions. Like other voluntary associations, members sometimes choose to join, and members sometimes choose to leave,” he states.
McGowan says most firefighter unions in the province had left the AFL over a year ago, “Because they said that, under my leadership, the Federation had become too political and too confrontational with the UCP government.”
The letter from the Lethbridge union cited last year’s province-wide teacher strike as an event that highlighted what was referred to as “a lack of coordination, and an overall sense of disorganization within the federation.”
“This particular local [Lethbridge] stayed, but left because we weren’t successful in organizing a general strike to protest the [Danielle] Smith government’s use of the notwithstanding clause to strip teachers of their right to strike,” McGowan says.
READ MORE: Bill including notwithstanding clause passed, Alberta teacher strike ending
The AFL president adds on the day the letter was sent, Dec. 3, 2025, he had a “very cordial and, I believe, constructive conversation” with Brent Nunweiler, the president of the Lethbridge union.
“I told him I shared his frustration that we had been unable to secure a consensus among unions to call for a general strike,” McGowan says.
“I also explained why I thought the consensus had shifted at the eleventh hour. And I committed to do the hard work of educating workers — both unionized and non-unionized — about why a general strike as a form of protest still needs to be firmly on the table in the context of a provincial government that has gone rogue on so many issues.”
He adds, “I concluded my conversation with Brent by saying I wished he had participated in the fateful multi-union meeting held the day after the UCP had rammed Bill 2 through the Legislature.”
“His passion might have helped change the outcome.”
As far as the call for resignation goes, McGowan says, “I pointed out to him [Nunweiler] I had just won re-election by a wide margin in April. That’s an important point.”
He adds the AFL is a democratic organization. “I may be the president, but I am not a king. I can’t simply make decrees. Our direction, especially on momentous decisions like a general strike, has to be supported by a majority of our unions,” McGowan says.
“It was clear to me in the lead up to Bill 2 there was a strong consensus among unions in support of at least a one-day mass walkout if the government used the notwithstanding clause against the teachers. But that consensus dissipated when the teachers decided to not defy the back-to-work order.”
McGowan notes as a labour movement, the AFL has “taken the time to discuss and debate the lessons that can be taken from all of this.” He adds shortly before Christmas, the AFL Executive Council adopted a new strategic action plan for 2026.
“It incorporates many of the ideas that came up in our discussions following the passage of Bill 2. At least one new union has joined us in the context of this work,” McGowan says.
“It is my sincere hope firefighters will return to the fold when they see us putting our words into action.”
The AFL represents 26 affiliated trade unions and over 170,000 unionized workers across the province.
