The other day we got a gross UCP referendum propaganda leaflet (but actually paid for by the government of Alberta, so all of us paid for it with our taxes, not just UCP donors), which finally motivated me to put together this lawn sign I'd been thinking about.
Will it do any good? Probably not, but it was a little cathartic.
Oct 3, 2026, 6:18 PM@dragonfrog Bronwyn Bragg sits down with Saima Desai to bust Danielle Smith’s immigration myths
https://breachmedia.ca/immigration-on-the-ballot-for-alberta-referendum/
@dragonfrog
> (but actually paid for by the government of Alberta, so all of us paid for it with our taxes, not just UCP donors),
Is that even legal? If so, how?!
@trebach anyone whose job it would be to enforce such laws owes their job to the UCP government, so yes it's legal I guess?
@trebach @dragonfrog I hope that it might be arguable in court that the pamphlet is hate speech. I was so disappointed to see it. Thank you for posting about this.
@trebach @dragonfrog The pamphlet doesn't technically tell anyone how to vote on the individual referendum questions, it is presented as background information explaining the questions & urging people to vote.
But the information is very biased, & the urging uses the line "stand up for a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada". (It's uses a lot of the content from this website that has been up since the spring)
So, I'd say that at least on the separation question, it meets Elections Alberta's criteria for referendum advertising (see interpretation bulletin).
But, the law in Alberta treats government advertising completely separate from political party & 3rd-party advertising, and the restrictions on government advertising (see another EA bulletin or section 134.1 of the Elections Act) only mention ads about government "programs or activities", which might be the loophole they're using?
@trebach @dragonfrog All that said, I really hope someone has made a formal complaint to the Election Commissioner about the pamphlet & website, because I'd like to see a formal decision setting out exactly the limits of that loophole.
Other than the "programs and activities" stipulation, the pamphlet is, to my non-lawyer eyes, a clear violation of the Elections Act 134.1:
During a referendum period, a department or a Provincial corporation shall not advertise or publish any information about its programs or activities related to the subject‑matter of the referendum that has a specific and disproportionate impact on voters in the areas of Alberta in which the referendum is being held [except for exceptions which don't apply here].
And isn't the nature of calling a referendum an "activity" of the government? And don't the background sections on the questions provide information about other government programs & activities?
It is certainly trying to have a "specific and disproportionate impact on voters"!
@trebach @dragonfrog Unless the loophole they're relying on is that the restriction is on any "department or provincial corporation". The publication is attributed to the Government of Alberta as a whole, not a particular department.
Either way, it is definitely breaking the spirit of the law, and I'd sure like to see them argue in favour of their loopholes publicly.