Alberta’s government is moving to tighten election rules and expand public sector transparency with proposed legislation that would ban misleading deepfakes and lower the salary disclosure threshold.The Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, introduced by Mickey Amery, would amend several laws governing elections, recalls, citizen initiatives, and compensation reporting in an effort to boost public confidence in democratic institutions.Under the proposed changes, the disclosure threshold for public sector salaries would drop to $130,000, down from $133,813 for government employees and $159,676 for broader public sector workers. The government says the move is intended to strengthen accountability while simplifying reporting requirements by maintaining a single annual disclosure.The legislation would also target the growing use of deepfake technology in politics. Amendments to the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act would prohibit the creation or distribution of manipulated media designed to mislead voters about the actions or statements of political figures, including party leaders, candidates, and MLAs. .Individuals who violate the rules could face fines of up to $10,000, while organizations could be fined as much as $100,000.Changes to the Citizen Initiative Act and Recall Act would expand oversight by allowing both government officials and petition organizers to appoint scrutineers to observe signature verification. The proposed amendments would also extend the retention period for successful petition signature sheets to two years and remove fixed deadlines for holding referendums, giving officials more flexibility in scheduling votes.
