Rally against Alberta's Bill 18 planned at Calgary's Mount Royal University

Students and staff to protest Alberta's Bill 18 A demonstration is planned to push back against the Alberta government's Bill 18, which would restrict federal funding commitments.

Faculty and staff at Mount Royal University will be demonstrating Tuesday morning to protest provincial legislation that they say could restrict research funding.

The province introduced Bill 18 in April to push back against what it called overreach by the federal government. It received Royal Assent at the end of May.

Bill 18 would require the province to approve all federal funding to provincial entities.

That would include federal money going to cities, towns and universities across Alberta.

In a statement released Monday, the Mount Royal Faculty Association shared some of its concerns.

These policies, “if left in their current state, will give the government unprecedented authority to block or alter federal research funding at universities and municipalities, jeopardizing academic freedom and imposing provincial priorities in what should be a neutral, objective, research-driven environment,” the statement said.

The association is calling on Albertans to urge the government to exempt post-secondary institutions from the legislation.

The province had previously stated the legislation is needed to ensure every municipality gets its fair share of funding.

"Bill 18 is about getting more money for municipalities and Albertans in general," said Ric McIver, Alberta's municipal affairs minister.

Details of how federal funding will be reviewed and what could be exempt is not yet known.

The province says it would be meeting with stakeholders all summer to figure out how to best apply the regulations.

The MRU rally is expected to take place between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.