Alberta targets deepfakes and restricts citizen initiatives near elections
Alberta's government introduced legislation Monday that would ban the creation and distribution of deepfakes designed to mislead voters, while imposing new restrictions on citizen-led petitions during election periods.
Justice Minister Mickey Amery tabled Bill 23 - Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2026 - which amends four existing laws including the Citizen Initiative Act, the Recall Act, the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, and the Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act.
Deepfake prohibitions year-round
The bill would prohibit individuals and organizations from creating or distributing deepfakes likely to mislead voters about the conduct or statements of party leaders, ministers, leadership candidates, MLAs, or election officials. The prohibition applies at all times, not just during elections.
The election commissioner could order the removal of non-compliant deepfakes. Violations would carry fines of $10,000 for individuals and $100,000 for entities, with penalties assessed daily for continued non-compliance.
"The distinction between what is reality and what is fake is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish," Amery said. Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish plans to introduce additional deepfake legislation by fall.
Citizen initiatives blocked during election windows
If passed, the bill would prohibit citizen initiative petitions from starting or continuing for 12 months before and 12 months after a general election. Amery said the restriction allows voters to focus on election matters without competing citizen-led initiatives.
The amendments also change referendum timing requirements and introduce scrutineers - lawyers appointed by the justice minister and petition proponents - to oversee signature verification for both citizen initiatives and recall petitions.
The chief electoral officer would retain successful petition signature sheets for two years instead of one. Current citizen initiative petitions would not be affected.
Alberta NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir criticized the changes, arguing the government is undermining the independence of the chief electoral officer. "They are interfering in an office that is supposed to be independent of the government," Sabir said. This marks the third amendment to the Citizen Initiative Act and the second to the Recall Act under the current government.
Public sector pay disclosure thresholds lowered
Amendments to compensation disclosure rules would lower the threshold for reporting government of Alberta employee compensation to $130,000 from $133,813, and for broader public sector bodies to $130,000 from $159,676.
The legislation would also change severance disclosure from twice yearly to once yearly, which Amery characterized as an efficiency measure.
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