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Alberta Introduces Bill to Overhaul Citizen Initiatives and Election Rules

The proposal moves key decisions on referendum petitions from Elections Alberta to the justice minister.

Overview

  • Bill 14 would raise the nomination signature requirement for provincial candidates from 25 to 100 and prohibit any elector from sponsoring more than one candidate.
  • Political party registration rules would tighten to bar names using words or phrases associated with other parties, with examples listed such as conservative, liberal and green.
  • The justice minister, not the chief electoral officer, would control court referrals on initiative questions, and pending petitions would be quashed with 30 days to reapply as related court actions are discontinued.
  • The legislation removes provisions blocking petitions that contravene the Constitution or exceed provincial jurisdiction, with the government presenting the shift as a more permissive process.
  • New privacy measures would add identity checks for canvassers and introduce steep penalties for misuse of personal information, reportedly up to $500,000 for individuals and $1 million for corporations.