Alberta’s justice minister has introduced a new bill that would ban misleading political deepfakes and make a series of changes to referendum, recall and public sector disclosure rules.
Justice Minister Mickey Amery tabled the Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, saying the changes are intended to strengthen election integrity and update several existing laws.
One of the most closely watched measures would prohibit the creation or distribution of deepfakes likely to mislead voters about the statements or conduct of a candidate, party leader, MLA or election official. Under the proposal, individuals could face fines of up to $10,000, while corporations and other entities could be fined up to $100,000. Amery said enforcement would go through Elections Alberta and the elections commissioner.
Amery said the province is trying to address the issue before it becomes a larger problem in Alberta elections. He said deepfake technology is becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect, and added that more legislation dealing with deepfakes in other areas is expected from the technology and innovation ministry.
The bill would also change Alberta’s citizen-led referendum process. It would create a blackout period that would prevent referendums from being held during the 12 months before and after a general election. Amery said the aim is to keep referendum questions separate from election campaigns and avoid having both unfold at the same time.
The changes would not apply to petitions already underway, including current citizen-led initiatives.
Other amendments would allow scrutineers to observe the petition signature verification process and would change how long Elections Alberta must keep signature sheets on file.
The bill would also lower the threshold for public sector compensation disclosure to $130,000, widening the number of employees whose earnings would be made public. At the same time, it would end duplicate severance reporting by moving that disclosure to a single annual report instead of twice a year.
The bill arrives as Alberta continues to debate the growing use of citizen-led initiatives and the potential for multiple referendum questions ahead of the next provincial election. If passed, the legislation would tighten rules around election-related misinformation and reshape how future referendum campaigns are scheduled.