After months of not committing to a timeline, the Alberta government said it plans to introduce changes to the province's labour legislation as soon as next week.

Government House leader Brian Mason told reporters it was "pretty likely" a bill will be introduced.

"I think it's generally well known that there's some legislation to improve the rights of workers in Alberta that's coming, to make sure that we have fair workplaces and that we have up-to-date legislation," he said.

Mason made the remarks after revealing the legislature will sit next week. There had been talk of taking a constituency break, but Mason said that proposal was rejected by the opposition.

Labour Minister Christina Gray has for weeks told the opposition and the media she was reviewing feedback from a recent consultation.

She would not reveal any timeline for when a bill would be introduced.

Wildrose Leader Brian Jean said he is concerned about what changes the government will propose. He said Alberta has had years of labour peace and the existing legislation has helped with that.

He said the government's 36-day consultation period wasn't long enough and needs to be extended to hear more from groups.

"When you rush legislation, you usually get it wrong," he said. "Consultation with Albertans is always the best way to do things."

The opposition joined forces with business groups last month to urge the government to extend the consultation. Their calls were ignored.



