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EDMONTON — Alberta’s government is proposing legislative changes aimed at increasing transparency in the public sector and strengthening election integrity, including a ban on misleading deepfakes during campaigns.
If passed, the Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2026 would lower the salary disclosure threshold for public sector employees to $130,000 from higher existing levels, expanding the number of employees whose compensation must be publicly reported.
The government says the changes are intended to improve accountability while streamlining reporting requirements by eliminating the need for multiple severance disclosures within a single year.
Proposed amendments would also update the Citizen Initiative Act and Recall Act by allowing both petition organizers and affected MLAs to appoint scrutineers to observe signature verification processes. The legislation would require successful citizen initiative petition signatures to be retained for two years instead of one and would remove fixed timelines for holding referendums.
Under the Recall Act changes, signature sheets for successful petitions would be kept until a recall vote is completed.
The proposed legislation would also amend the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act to prohibit the creation and distribution of deepfakes likely to mislead voters about candidates or public officials. Individuals could face fines of up to $10,000, while organizations could be fined up to $100,000.
The government says the package of amendments is designed to improve transparency, modernize democratic processes and reinforce public confidence in Alberta’s electoral system.
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