
Breakenridge: Government secrecy taking hold in Alberta
It was a fairly simple matter, really: between September and December of 2023, more than 94,000 Albertans took part in the government's pension plan engagement survey. What were the results of that survey?
Article content
It's not as though the results were lost or destroyed. The Alberta government had those results and had been sitting on them all along. The thoughts of Albertans on a matter of public importance hardly constitute some sort of state secret, either.
Article content
Article content
Article content
It took almost two years of digging and prodding, but we finally have the answer. Regardless of one's views on the pension plan debate, it's troubling that we'd see such secrecy around something so straightforward.
Article content
Article content
Unfortunately, this is becoming the norm under this government. Hopefully, such a blatant and clunky attempt at secrecy will be a wake-up call when it comes to the erosion of access to information rights in Alberta.
Article content
The first request for responses from the pension survey was sent off to the government by Postmedia in September 2023. Subsequent requests were filed in the ensuing months, but those produced either completely redacted records or no records at all. Late last year, Alberta's Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) began a review into how the government responded to those requests.
Article content
Last week, the government finally relented and provided Postmedia reporter Matthew Black with the results of the pension plan engagement survey. For the record, the survey showed 63 per cent opposition to leaving the Canada Pension Plan, with only 10 per cent expressing support for the idea of a new, separate Alberta Pension Plan.
Article content
Article content
It's hard to imagine if those results were flipped that the Alberta government would have engaged in a 21-month campaign to keep them hidden from view. But the potential embarrassment stemming from a public rejection of a government narrative is a pretty flimsy basis for such a lack of transparency.
Article content
This is why access to information is so important and why strong laws are needed to protect that transparency. The problem with that, however, is that access to information laws are crafted and shaped by the same governments that might have a vested interest in limiting access to information.
Article content
Last December, the government passed new legislation overhauling privacy and access to information legislation. Among other things, the bill ushers in new exemptions for all sorts of documents and correspondence, putting them out of reach of access to information requests.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Former UCP MLAs seek to join, rebrand Alberta Party as Progressive Conservative Party
Possibility of potential spring election cited for urgency, collaboration with Alberta Party Then-Minister of Infrastructure Pete Guthrie stands in front of the Alberta Legislature during a press conference in Edmonton on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. David Bloom/Postmedia Two former United Conservative Party (UCP) MLAs say they are now seeking to join and rebrand the Alberta Party as part of their effort to ultimately revive the province's once-dominant Progressive Conservative (PC) Party amid legal threats from their former party. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Earlier this month, Airdrie-Cochrane MLA and former cabinet minister Peter Guthrie along with Lesser Slave Lake MLA Scott Sinclair announced plans to relaunch the PC Party after both were ejected from the UCP caucus. Screenshots of an email, posted by the Alberta politics X account the Breakdown early Wednesday, indicated that Guthrie and Sinclair and the Alberta Party had agreed to collaborate. 'Ultimately, it made a lot of sense to us. The Alberta Party has the infrastructure,' Guthrie told Postmedia in an interview. 'This allows us to get to our end faster.' The email states the Alberta Party will be expanding its board to include some of Guthrie and Sinclair's team and will be initiating steps towards a name change via Elections Alberta. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This composite image shows former United Conservative Party MLA Scott Sinclair, left, at the Alberta legislature building in Edmonton on Monday, March 10, 2025, and former UCP infrastructure minister Peter Guthrie, in Edmonton, on Friday, June 9, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson Alberta Party interim leader Lindsay Amantea issued a statement reading, 'we are exploring opportunities and partnerships that would raise the level of political discourse, and refocus the conversation on improving the lives of all Albertans, not just insiders.' The party had four MLAs between 2011 and 2019 but saw its vote share decline from nine per cent in 2019 to less than one per cent in 2023 after running 19 of a possible 87 candidates. Amantea has served as interim leader since April of last year after former leader Barry Morishita's resignation in November of 2023. Guthrie said he and Sinclair share some ideological ground with the Alberta Party, calling their collaboration a chance to bring the centre together ahead of the rumoured possibility of a spring election. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The pair's efforts to restore the PC brand have met with the threat of legal action from the UCP. UCP executive director Dustin van Vugt told Postmedia the party sent a cease and desist letter to protect the PC copyright and trademarks it says it owns. 'The PC Alberta name, logo and goodwill were being used by people with no right to it,' he wrote in an email. 'Neither of these MLAs were ever even members of PC Alberta, so their attempt to usurp the goodwill associated with our legacy party in order to confuse voters and avoid the hard work of building a political movement is particularly insulting to the thousands of former PC Party members and supporters who are now contributing members of the UCP.' Guthrie characterized the potential legal actions as an effort to stall for time. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The legal wrangling from the UCP is intended to tie us up,' he said. 'They're worried about us getting that Progressive Conservative Party off the ground.' PC name dispute When asked earlier this month about a possible PC Party revival, Premier Danielle Smith said election law bars anyone from using the names of either of the UCP's legacy parties. The PCs governed Alberta for four decades before merging with the Wildrose Party in 2017 to become the UCP. The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta name remains listed as 'reserved' on Elections Alberta's website with an expiry date of Nov. 26. Applicants have six months to fulfil the registration requirements or up to a year if they are granted extensions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It's a potential name that we will be looking to adopt,' Guthrie said. Elections Alberta told Postmedia that no application has yet been received to register the party name, so the chief electoral officer has not made a determination on the name issue. 'We want to just take the roots of the PC party that were there … and plant those roots again and grow from that,' Guthrie said. 'We don't want to look to the past. It's about looking to the future.' mblack@ Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun. Sports Golf Canada Columnists Columnists


Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Alberta's United Conservatives call in lawyers in Progressive Conservative name fight
EDMONTON – Alberta's governing United Conservative Party has brought in its lawyers to challenge a rogue splinter group in a fight over resurrecting the province's legacy Progressive Conservative party brand. The UCP has sent a cease and desist letter to two former United Conservative caucus members who are now seeking to challenge Premier Danielle Smith's government by forming a new party using the old Progressive Conservative name. UCP executive director Dustin van Vugt, in a statement Wednesday, said the cease and desist letter was sent to protect the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta copyright and trademarks that belong to the UCP. 'The PC Alberta name, logo and goodwill were being used by people with no right to it,' he wrote. Van Vugt said neither of the ex-UCP caucus members were part of PC Alberta. 'Their attempt to usurp the goodwill associated with our legacy party in order to confuse voters and avoid the hard work of building a political movement is particularly insulting to the thousands of former PC Party members and supporters who are now contributing members of the UCP,' he wrote. The Progressive Conservatives ran Alberta's government for four decades before collapsing and merging with the Wildrose Party into the new United Conservatives in 2017. The UCP has been Alberta's governing party since 2019. Peter Guthrie, a former cabinet minister in Smith's government, along with former UCP backbencher Scott Sinclair, made headlines earlier this month announcing their plans to resurrect the PC name for a party that would challenge the UCP. Guthrie said Wednesday the letter shows the UCP is worried, and trying to intimidate those who want to move the province's political sphere back to 'normality.' 'They're fearful of us getting off the ground here and offering options to Albertans,' he said in an interview. Guthrie said they're still gathering signatures to register, but now they're also working to join and rebrand the centrist Alberta Party. 'We can get to that official party status now without having to get caught up in all the legal games that the UCP is trying to play here,' he said. Guthrie and Sinclair, both voted out of caucus earlier this year for challenging UCP policies, have said that Smith's government has lost its way, is catering to a narrow band of extremists and separatists, and that centrist conservatives need a place to park their vote. The would-be PCs have told supporters the Alberta Party will take on new board members and begin taking steps to change the name to reflect a progressive conservative alternative in the province. 'It may be that we have to tweak it a bit, but you can't own 'progressive' and you can't own 'conservative,'' said Guthrie. He added the Alberta Party is looking for a new direction, and the partnership makes sense. 'The Alberta Party has that infrastructure in place, and we've come out of the gates — we've had this incredible amount of interest. We started with a very small team, and we've had thousands of people trying to contact us,' he said. The collaboration means it's likely they'll need to hold a leadership contest, Guthrie said, since the Alberta Party already has a leader. Lindsay Amantea took on the role on an interim basis last year. The Alberta Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025.


Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Alberta concerned over Ottawa plan to accept newcomer parents, grandparents this year
EDMONTON – Alberta's immigration minister says he's concerned about the federal government's plan this year to accept thousands of parents and grandparents of immigrants already in Canada. Joseph Schow responded Tuesday to a federal notice that Ottawa plans to take in 10,000 applications from those who have previously expressed interest in sponsoring family members. In a statement, Schow said provincial health-care systems, housing and social services don't have the capacity and could be overwhelmed. Schow took issue with the 10,000 figure. Federal Immigration Minister Lena Diab's office said the federal government's actual countrywide target for approvals this year for the parent and grandparent immigration stream is higher at 24,500. Diab's office said Schow was responding to a notice that the ministry is preparing to take in 10,000 applications for consideration from already settled immigrants who expressed interest in 2020 in sponsoring their parents or grandparents. 'Family reunification is an important part of Canada's immigration system, helping Canadian citizens and permanent residents sponsor their loved ones to live and work alongside them in Canada,' a spokesperson for Diab said in an email, adding that the federal government is committed to reuniting as many families as possible. 'Opening intake for 10,000 applications will help us meet this commitment and will not increase the target.' Schow's office said it was under the impression the 10,000 was the 2025 target, and his concern remains the same. Schow said in the Tuesday statement that he understands 'the importance of family reunification, (but) inviting large numbers of parents and grandparents into the country without proper co-ordination with provinces places disproportionate strain on already busy health systems.' 'This creates serious concerns for both Albertans and the newcomers themselves, who may not receive timely care if our system is overwhelmed.' The minister didn't directly answer questions about whether he wants to see the parent and grandparent target reduced or eliminated. In an email, he said the 'root issue' is the federal government setting immigration targets without provincial input. 'The more direct concern with this program is its impact on health care,' Schow added. 'Seniors are more likely to require medical and long-term care, and bringing in thousands more without additional supports increases pressure on a system already managing high demand.' Diab's office said since parents and grandparents accepted under the program require a sponsor to financially support them, it doesn't put any excessive burden on provincial services. 'Family reunification not only leads to social and cultural benefits but also economic benefits,' said the spokesperson. 'Those coming through this program are often supporting the household in Canada, including by providing childcare. This helps parents enter the workforce and strengthen Canada's economy.' Schow said Alberta's government wants overall immigration reduced to below 500,000 per year, and that provinces need to 'have a stronger role in selecting newcomers to meet local needs.' Under targets set last fall, Ottawa is aiming to approve just over 1 million immigration applications this year, including temporary residents on work visas, international students, refugees and new permanent residents like parents and grandparents of newcomers. On Wednesday, premiers from across Canada collectively called on the federal government to engage more with provincial governments on immigration targets and increase the share of economic immigrants each province is allocated under the provincial and territorial nominee program. The joint federally and provincially run program works to fast track the permanent residency process for workers in sought after sectors. For Alberta, that includes health care, technology and law enforcement. 'Provinces and territories are best positioned to understand their local labour market needs and call on the federal government to support their respective priorities,' reads a joint statement from premiers following their three-day meeting in Ontario. Schow's comments also come as a panel chaired by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is touring the province to hear from citizens on a number of topics, including whether Alberta should create its own immigration permitting system and block non-approved newcomers from accessing services like health care. At the panel's most recent town hall in Edmonton, a member of the public accused Smith of 'punching down on immigrants.' Smith said the province is trying to find solutions to housing affordability, hospital capacity, classroom sizes and 'increasing pressure on our social programs.' 'There has to be a reasonable amount of newcomers that are able to come here, fit into the economy, be able to be self-supporting,' Smith told the audience. 'That is, I think, a bit high at the moment.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025.