Overview
- Bill 14 would move authority to approve initiative applications, determine similarity of proposals, and refer questions to the courts from the chief electoral officer to the justice minister.
- The bill removes constitutional and jurisdictional pre‑screening for initiative proposals and discontinues court proceedings launched by the elections office, while allowing applicants 30 days to refile quashed petitions.
- Elections changes include raising candidate nomination signatures from 25 to 100, limiting each elector to sponsoring one candidate, and tightening party‑naming rules with a list of prohibited terms, applied retroactively to July 4, 2025.
- Legal‑governance measures would restrict mandatory Law Society training, extend justices of the peace terms, give the minister direction over the Alberta Law Foundation’s bylaws, and grant the attorney general immunity for acts performed in an official capacity.
- A Court of King’s Bench judge ruled the Alberta Prosperity Project’s separation question unconstitutional and criticized legislative efforts that could short‑circuit active cases, while separatist organizers called Bill 14 a “massive win” and prepared to relaunch their petition.