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Ban Deepfakes and Restrict Citizen Petitions

Full Title:
Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2026

Summary#

  • This bill updates several Alberta justice and election laws. Its goals are to protect elections from fake media, adjust pay transparency rules, and tighten how citizen‑led petitions and recall efforts are handled.
  • It adds rules against political “deepfakes” (highly realistic fake audio/video) and gives officials power to order their removal and fine violators.
  • It changes when citizen‑initiative petitions can run, ends petitions if an election is called, and allows trained “scrutineers” (watchers) to observe petition and recall checks.
  • It raises and re-indexes the public pay disclosure (“sunshine list”) threshold and ends mid‑year disclosure updates.

Key changes

  • Bans starting citizen‑initiative petitions for 12 months before and 12 months after a general election, and during the election period; any petition underway then must stop and return/destroy signature sheets.
  • Removes the old option to pause and continue a petition across a general election.
  • Lets the proponent and the Minister (for initiatives) and the applicant and MLA (for recall) each appoint a lawyer as a scrutineer to observe validation; requires notice of when and where checks occur; sets confidentiality rules; and requires records to be kept for set periods.
  • Drops fixed deadlines that forced certain referendums to be held by the next general election, giving government more flexibility on timing.
  • Clarifies sponsor ID rules for online political, Senate, and referendum ads “made available through electronic media.”
  • Creates fines and enforcement tools against creating or sharing misleading political deepfakes; allows officials to remove deepfake signs without liability.
  • Updates the public pay disclosure threshold to $130,000 and ties future increases to public‑sector wage settlements; ends the mid‑year disclosure list; takes effect January 1, 2027.

What it means for you#

  • Voters

    • Stronger protection from fake videos or audio that could mislead you about a party leader, MLA, candidate, or election official.
    • If a fake sign is posted, election officials can take it down.
    • Some referendums may be scheduled later than before.

  • People starting citizen‑initiatives

    • You cannot start an initiative in the year before a general election, during the campaign, or in the year after the election.
    • If an election is called while you are collecting signatures, your petition ends. You must stop canvassing and return/destroy all signature sheets. Unspent funds must be handled as set out in the rules.
    • You may appoint a lawyer as a scrutineer (at your cost) to watch the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO’s) review of your signatures. The CEO must tell you when and where reviews will happen.

  • People involved in recall efforts

    • When a valid recall petition is filed, the CEO will post a notice online and tell both sides when and where verification will happen.
    • Each side may appoint a lawyer as a scrutineer (at their own cost) to watch the verification.
    • If a recall vote is ordered, the CEO must keep the petition until the vote and any recounts or appeals are finished.

  • Campaigns, third parties, and advertisers

    • Online political ads must clearly show who paid for them when people first see the ad.
    • You must not create a deepfake likely to mislead voters, or share one with the intent to mislead. The Election Commissioner can order you to stop and destroy it. Fines can reach up to $10,000 per day for people and $100,000 per day for organizations if you ignore an order, plus administrative penalties.

  • Public‑sector employees and bodies

    • The “sunshine list” threshold is set at $130,000 (base pay or severance for Government of Alberta staff; total compensation or severance for others) and will rise each year based on public‑sector wage settlements, not inflation.
    • The government will no longer publish a mid‑year (June 30) pay disclosure update.
    • These changes take effect January 1, 2027.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

  • Deepfake rules protect voters from being tricked and help keep elections fair.
  • Scrutineers and public notices make petition and recall checks more transparent while protecting private data.
  • Ending initiatives near elections avoids confusion and pressure during campaigns and lets election officials focus on running the vote.
  • Updating the ad rules for “electronic media” makes sponsor identification clearer for modern online platforms.
  • Raising and re-indexing the sunshine list focuses disclosure on higher salaries and reduces red tape by ending mid‑year reports.
  • Flexible referendum timing lets the government plan votes when they can be better run and communicated.

Opponents' View#

  • Banning initiatives for a year before and after elections, and ending petitions when an election is called, sharply narrows when citizens can use this tool.
  • Removing fixed deadlines could delay referendums for a long time, weakening direct democracy.
  • Limiting scrutineers to lawyers and to one per side at a time may raise costs and reduce broader citizen oversight.
  • The deepfake ban could chill satire or legitimate political expression if people fear large fines.
  • Allowing officials to remove signs without liability may raise property and free‑expression concerns.
  • Raising the sunshine list threshold and tying it to wage settlements (not inflation), plus ending mid‑year disclosures, may reduce pay transparency for the public.