Diane Jenkinson

David Parker is going to jail

Is that why Kenney disbanded the investigative arm of Elections Alberta and why the current governing party UCP increased the threshold to open an investigation to law enforcement levels? That would be a conspiracy if true. Investigate long and hard RCMP. There’s a lot at stake.

If the TV didn't tell you about Covid, you would not have noticed.

The allegation of misuse of Alberta voters lists by separatists would be concerning at any time but it's doubly concerning at this time and on this issue. Political parties are entrusted with a great deal of information. And each piece - each voter contact - on its own, seems almost inconsequential. An address, a phone number - you can still find that in the white pages for most people. But as anyone over a certain age knows, not everyone is listed in the white pages, not everyone’s address is presented. The voter lists also include email addresses, and your presence on it or not strongly indicates citizenship status and other protected information. In 2026, the sheer volume of records is also a risk. That information, particularly in an environment where signatures are collected and then validated AGAINST the list, presents new opportunities to falsify signature collection. We do not know that has happened, to be clear. But Albertans now worry - if there’s reason to believe the data privacy rules were violated, what other rules are broken or bent? The citizen initiative signature acquisition process relies on trust - and for many, trust is now completely shattered. Albertans reasonably want assurances their data is protected. Albertans reasonably want assurances that the signatures captured are legitimate. At a minimum, Elections Alberta and the Alberta Legislature needs to be thinking about how these signatures are audited going forward. They should also consider how Albertans can assure themselves that their name has not been falsely added. This will add cost and complexity to the validation process. Maybe that cost and complexity is not worth it when the question is about daylight saving. But given the stakes of the separatists’ proposed referendum, that is a necessary cost. I also hope and expect, as an Albertan, that the authorities are on top of this. It is important that violations of our election laws, if any, are addressed - and that any loopholes that exist are closed, and trust is built back into the citizen initiative system.