The Alberta government said it is exploring the possibility of putting citizenship as an additional identification feature on driver’s licences and ID cards as part of its plan to modernize registries. Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction press secretary Brandon Aboultaif said this proposal “is still in preliminary stages and further analysis will be required before any decisions are finalized.” “We will keep you updated as the work unfolds,” said Aboultaif in a Thursday statement. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally said on a panel at the United Conservative Party Annual General Meeting on November 1 the government was looking at adding citizenship status to driver’s licences. While the plan had not been finalized, Nally said it was being looked into to enhance election security. “One of the things that we’re looking at is how we can put citizenship on the driver’s licence,” said Nally. Alberta NDP MLA Lizette Tejada (Calgary-Klein) responded by saying on the doors this week, people told her about their concerns about healthcare access and affordability. “If the UCP (United Conservative Party) won't deliver on those things — maybe they could at least laminate healthcare cards?” said Tejada. “Asking for a province.”.This ordeal comes after the Alberta government said in 2023 Graduated Driver Licence (GDL) drivers who have completed their two-year probation period with a clean record will receive a letter informing them of their change in their status to non-GDL. .Alberta government frees drivers from Graduated Driver Licences.“GDL was an expensive, duplicative licensing scheme that discriminated against good young drivers,” said Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen. “There are 500,000 young Albertans with clean driving records who would need to pay $154 and waste their time to take another driving test.”
