Alberta’s Opposition leader is calling for an emergency legislative hearing into a reported data breach at Elections Alberta, warning the incident raises serious concerns about voter privacy and the integrity of Alberta’s electoral system.Naheed Nenshi said the breach has “significant implications” for Albertans and is demanding the province’s chief electoral officer appear before MLAs to explain what happened and why action may have been delayed.In a statement, Nenshi said Alberta’s New Democrats have formally requested an emergency meeting of the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices to summon officials from Elections Alberta for testimony.“Albertans deserve clear answers about what happened,” he said, including when the agency first became aware of the breach and why it appears the response was not immediate.Nenshi said the NDP alerted authorities on April 17 after learning of a potential privacy issue, while media reports suggest journalists had raised concerns with Elections Alberta weeks earlier.“These delays in taking action to protect the privacy of Albertans must be fully explained,” he said.The Opposition is also calling on the United Conservative government to reverse provisions in Bill 54, arguing changes that came into force in 2025 weakened the investigative powers of Elections Alberta."We need to make sure that we didn't unilaterally end any investigations because of Bill 54, and we need to make sure that the elections Alberta has the ability to investigate and prosecute on these sorts of things," Nenshi said.Nenshi said the agency must provide a public update on the breach and outline steps being taken to protect personal information, while the Alberta government should issue its own detailed response, including guidance for Albertans who may be affected.“Albertans deserve to feel confident that their personal information is protected,” he said, adding that transparency and accountability are essential to maintaining trust in democratic institutions.The data breach has not yet been fully detailed publicly, and Elections Alberta has not released a comprehensive account of the scope or impact of the incident.
