Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has emphasized the need to hold accountable those individuals responsible for the exposure of private voter information. Smith expressed her concerns in response to allegations that an Alberta separatist group illicitly acquired and disclosed the voter list of the province to the public.
“We are cognizant of the potential data breach involving electors’ personal details,” stated Smith. “Safeguarding the personal information of Albertans is paramount, and those at fault should be legally accountable.”
The Alberta RCMP and Elections Alberta are currently probing the Centurion Project, a pro-separatist organization, for allegedly obtaining and releasing an electoral list that had been lawfully provided to the Republican Party of Alberta in 2025. Following a temporary court injunction granted to Elections Alberta, the voter list was removed from the Centurion website to restrict public access.
Smith, representing the United Conservative Party government, refrained from further commentary pending the outcome of the investigations. The government awaits the investigative findings before contemplating any necessary legislative adjustments in response to the situation.
During a trade mission in the United Kingdom, Smith was unavailable for comment when revelations of unauthorized voter information usage surfaced in an Edmonton court. The Court of King’s Bench disclosed that the Centurion Project transformed the electoral list into a searchable application, exposing the names and addresses of nearly three million Albertans.
Members of the Centurion Project claimed that the voter list was acquired through a third party with the objective of identifying and mobilizing supporters for Alberta’s separatist cause ahead of a potential referendum. Elections Alberta clarified that the data shared by Centurion originated from an electoral list provided to the Republican Party of Alberta, though the transfer of the list remains ambiguous, forming a focal point for the ongoing investigations by Elections Alberta and the RCMP.
Alberta’s privacy commissioner, Diane McLeod, is examining the case and advocating for legislative enhancements to fortify privacy protections and extend regulations to political parties. McLeod highlighted a legislative void concerning the privacy laws related to the collection and disclosure of personal information by political entities. She stressed the necessity of including stringent privacy safeguards akin to those found in the Personal Information and Privacy Act (PIPA) to protect Albertans’ privacy rights effectively.
McLeod’s office is assessing the jurisdiction over the incident and the feasibility of an investigation as they continue to gather facts. With over 2.9 million Albertans affected by the breach, McLeod emphasized the severity of the situation and the potential risks faced by individuals. She underscored the urgency of subjecting political parties to PIPA regulations to prevent similar breaches in the future.
