daveberta.ca – Alberta Politics and Elections

A flood of AI-generated disinformation in Alberta politics

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 19, 2026

Misinformation and disinformation isn’t new, but the speed it can travel and audience it can reach has exploded through social media platforms.

There is a flood of misinformation and disinformation about Alberta’s separation from Canada, commonly found in the form of social media influencers and Artificial Intelligence-generated videos, images and charts, pouring into social media feeds. It’s unclear who runs many of these anonymous social media accounts that publish this AI-generated content or where in the world they are posting from.

It has never been easier for malicious actors at home and aboard to interfere and attempt to destabilize our politics and society — and the deeply divisive issue of separation and the increasingly troubling divided opinions about immigration — are easy targets.

Fighting misinformation and disinformation needs to be a national priority in Canada

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 18, 2026

An AI-generated image of Premier Danielle Smith and US President Donald Trump celebrating an “Independent Republic of Alberta” shared by the anonymous pro-separation “Rise of Alberta” Instagram account (source: riseofalberta / Instagram)

Alberta is barrelling towards a separation referendum and there’s no sign our leaders are taking the threat seriously

Albertans will soon be faced with a series of referendum questions ranging from limiting the access immigrants have to health care and education, abolishing the Canadian Senate, allowing the provincial government to appoint federal court judges, and the big one — separation from Canada.

These questions, which are expected to be put to Alberta voters on October 19, 2026, are already accompanied by a storm of misinformation and disinformation that is dominating many peoples main sources of information — their social media feeds.

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information that is shared without harmful intent. Disinformation is deliberately shared false information that is intended to deceive.

With the referendum questions in mind, I shared concerns in a recent episode of the Daveberta Podcast that it feels like there is a real lack of urgency from our elected leaders about the level of misinformation and disinformation being spread and targeting Albertans from at home and abroad on social media.

In Session: First Nations Chiefs hit back against Alberta separatism

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 16, 2026

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Challenging Danielle Smith at the Legislature to meeting King Charles III in London. It was a big week.

This is the second in a series of Daveberta Podcast episodes I’m calling Daveberta In Session. In these short episodes I’m sharing a few key things that I’m watching in Alberta politics in the week ahead and some other things that have caught my attention.

In this week’s episode, I discuss:

First Nations Chiefs taking centre stage in demonstrating their willingness to challenge Premier Danielle Smith and confront Alberta separatism.
Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Williams announcing a probe into Calgary’s water infrastructure problems. The UCP has been spending months trying to pin this on Alberta NDP leader and former mayor Naheed Nenshi. Calgary is the province’s key electoral battleground, so the UCP’s response is undoubtably political.
the 25th anniversary of Ralph Klein’s sweeping win in the Alberta’s 2001 provincial election and the impact of “Welcome to Ralph’s World” on Alberta politics (and my involvement in politics).

This full episode of this podcast is available to paid subscribers of the Daveberta Substack, so be sure to sign up for a monthly or annual subscription at Daveberta.substack.com/subscribe.

Thanks for subscribing and listening to this episode of the Daveberta Podcast. Share your feedback in the comments and if you enjoyed the podcast feel free to share it with a friend.

Alberta Politics

Three out of the gate: Dale Aalbers, Erin Averbukh, and Ray Donnelly running for UCP nominations

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 13, 2026

Dale Aalbers is seeking the UCP nomination in Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright (source: Dale Aalbers / Facebook)

Dale Aalbers, son of Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers, running for UCP nomination in Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright

The Alberta NDP were the first out of the gate preparing their slate for the next election when five candidates were nominated last week, and it looks like the United Conservative Party is not far behind.

At least three prospective candidates have announced their plans to seek UCP nominations to run in the next provincial election.

In Session: Jeromy Farkas pushes back against Danielle Smith’s provincial property tax hikes — compares it to equalization

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 9, 2026

Premier Danielle Smith and Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas in December 2025 (source: Danielle Smith / Facebook)

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The Daveberta Podcast is back In Session

You’ve probably noticed I haven’t recorded an episode of the Daveberta Podcast in a while — so if you were missing listening to it, please know that I was missing recording it.

Starting today and over the next few weeks I’m going to record a series of short episodes in which I will share a few key things that I’m watching in Alberta politics in the week ahead and some other things that have caught my attention.

I decided to test this podcast series — which I’m calling Daveberta In Session — during the spring session of the Alberta Legislature. I’m planning to do this for eight or nine weeks until mid May when the Assembly breaks for the summer months — and then we’ll see where we go from there.

In this week’s episode, I discuss:

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas’ threat to hold a municipal referendum on provincial property tax increases that he compared to equalization.
NDP MLA Heather Sweet’s private members’ bill to improve whistleblower laws for health care workers.
the storm of misinformation and disinformation that is barrelling towards us as Albertans are faced with ten or eleven referendum questions on October 19, 2026.

Listen to this episode of the podcast on the Daveberta Substack.

Alberta Politics

Kelly Hopper challenges Elan Harper for federal Conservative nomination in Calgary Confederation

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 8, 2026

Kelly Hopper is challenging Elan Harper for the federal Conservative Party nomination in Calgary Confederation.

Hopper ran for the Conservative nomination in the neighbouring Calgary Signal Hill in 2024 and her website says former UCP MLA and 2025 candidate Jeremy Nixon asked her to enter this race.

Nixon was the UCP MLA for Calgary-Klein from 2019 to 2023, and was defeated in Calgary Confederation by Liberal Corey Hogan in the 2025 federal election.

Mike Derry announces run for UCP nomination in Calgary-Shaw by-election

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 7, 2026

Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz speaks at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary (source: Twitter / Rebecca Schulz) — Calgary-Shaw UCP MLA Rebecca Schulz speaking at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary in 2023 (source: Twitter / Rebecca Schulz)

While a number of United Conservative Party MLAs and prospective candidates have signalled their plans to run in the next election, the governing party appears to be waiting for the new electoral map before publicly announcing nomination meetings. But there is a possibility that there could be at least one new MLA elected between now and October 2027.

Calgary-Shaw UCP MLA Rebecca Schulz is expected to resign her seat in the Legislature this May and talent management company owner Mike Derry has already announced his plans to seek that party’s nomination in an upcoming by-election.

NDP MLAs Sarah Hoffman and Samir Kayande first candidates nominated for 2027 election

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date March 6, 2026

MLA Sarah Hoffman (left) and MLA David Eggen at the Edmonton-Glenora NDP nomination meeting on March 3, 2026. Hoffman was acclaimed for the nomination. (source: Sarah Hoffman / Facebook)

Candidate nomination season kicks off in Alberta

It could be 18 months before Albertans line up to mark their ballots in the next provincial election but that isn’t stopping Alberta’s main opposition party from starting to nominate candidates ahead of the vote.

The Alberta NDP started nominating candidates this week, far ahead of the scheduled October 2027 vote. A much earlier election was rumoured but appears increasingly unlikely as we move further into 2026.

NDP MLA Sarah Hoffman became the first candidate nominated ahead of the next election when she was acclaimed in Edmonton-Glenora on March 3. Hoffman has represented the riding since 2015 and served as Deputy Premier and Minister of Health in the NDP government led by Premier Rachel Notley from 2015 to 2019.

Tags A Better Calgary Party, Alberta Budget 2026, Alberta Election Candidate Nominations, Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission, Alberta Federation of Labour, Alberta NDP, Alberta Politics Substack, Anthony Ascue, Avi Lewis, Banff-Kananaskis, Calgary-Confederation, Calgary-Edgemont, Calgary-Elbow, Calgary-Foothills, Calgary-Shaw, Calgary-Shaw by-election, Calgary-Varsity, Canada Election Substack, Canadian Strategy Group, Corey Hogan, Court Ellingson, Craig Chandler, Dan Arnold, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview, Edmonton-Glenora, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, Edmonton-South, Edmonton-South West, Elan Harper, Federal NDP leadership race 2026, Gil McGowan, Green Party of Alberta, Heather McPherson, James Anderson, Janis Irwin, Jason Copping, Jeremy Nixon, Jeromy Farkas, Julia Hayter, Justin Brattinga, Kelly Hooper, Lizette Tejada, Mike Derry, Naheed Nenshi, Nate Horner, Nathan Ip, Peggy Wright, Rebecca Schulz, Rhiannon Hoyle, Rob Ashton, Samir Kayande, Sarah Elmeligi, Sarah Hoffman, Tanille Johnston, Tony McQuail, United Conservative Party

Alberta Politics

Darren Hedley appointed Deputy Minister of Finance ahead of Nate Horner’s budget speech

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date February 28, 2026

Orders-in-Council released on Wednesday afternoon show that Darren Hedley has been appointed as the Deputy Minister of Finance and Treasury Board. Hedley previously filled the position in an acting role under Deputy Minister of Executive Council Dale McFee and worked as Associate Deputy Minister in the department before that.

Hedley replaces Katherine White, who was late last year appointed as the Deputy Minister of the Department of Finance in the Yukon territorial government. She previously worked as Deputy Minister of Jobs, Economy, and Innovation and Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Tourism, and Trade, and also worked as the Chief Economist for the Alberta government.

Nate Horner’s big deficit budget — another year, another Alberta budget at the whim of oil and gas royalties

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date February 27, 2026

Alberta Minister of Finance Nate Horner in his pre-budget promotional video (source: Government of Alberta / YouTube)

There’s a baked-in analysis in every Alberta provincial budget that is impossible to ignore: Alberta relies too much on revenues from oil and gas royalties to fund the daily operations of government.

The other baked-in part of the analysis is what Albertans want: well-funded public services without having to pay more taxes for them.

From a first glance, it sure looks like that’s what Albertans got in Minister of Finance Nate Horner’s budget tabled today in the Legislature.

The budget doesn’t appear to include any big spending cuts, but it does include something Conservatives in this province used to like saying they wouldn’t do: run a deficit. This budget runs a big deficit of $9.4 billion and projects deficits for the next two budgets.

Read all about it on the Daveberta Substack

Tags Alberta Anti-Immigration Referendum, Alberta Budget 2026, Alberta NDP, Alberta Politics Substack, Alberta School Board Association, Alberta Teachers' Association, Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, Canada Election Substack, Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Chris Gallaway, Coal Mining Referendum, Corb Lund, Court Ellingson, Dale McFee, Danielle Smith, Darren Hedley, Daveberta Substack, Deborah Yedlin, Deficit in Alberta, Edmonton Police Service, Enyinnah Okere, Friends of Medicare, Jan Gorski, Jason Schilling, Jeromy Farkas, Jim Prentice, Justin Krikler, Justin Trudeau, Katherine White, Kris Sims, Montreal Economic Institute, Naheed Nenshi, Nate Horner, Natural Resource Royalty Rates, No New Coal Mining in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains, Paul de Jong, Pembina Institute, Pierre Poilievre, Progressive Contractors Association, Rachel Notley, Raj Uppal, Rakhi Pancholi, Ron Anderson, Sandra Azocar, Shali Baziuk, Taylor MacPherson, United Conservative Party, United Nurses of Alberta

Alberta Politics

Rakhi Pancholi takes the lead – NDP deputy leader takes centre stage, again, in response to Danielle Smith’s nine referendum questions

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date February 24, 2026

Edmonton-Whitemud NDP MLA Rakhi Pancholi (source: Alberta NDP Opposition / YouTube)

“Cut the bullshit. Call the election.”

Those were the words Alberta NDP deputy leader Rakhi Pancholi directed at Danielle Smith the morning after the Premier took to the television waves to blame immigration for the provincial government’s budget problems and announce a suite of nine referendum questions to be put to Albertans on October 19.

The 38-MLA NDP opposition has struggled to gain traction and define itself since former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi replaced former premier Rachel Notley as leader a year and a half ago, but those six words from Pancholi last Friday cut through the noise and were a blunt reminder that she is one of the party’s most effective voices.

Drugs, gaffes and good intentions: Alberta’s Big Family Day Debate of 1989

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date February 16, 2026

Premier Don Getty, NDP leader Ray Martin, and Liberal leader Laurence Decore

Some readers will be familiar with the story about then-Premier Don Getty’s son getting arrested for possession and trafficking of cocaine and his father creating a holiday to celebrate family values in response. It sounds like a cynical take but it’s a big part of the story.

The idea to create a mid-winter holiday had been around for some time before it was announced in Alberta’s 1989 pre-election Speech from the Throne.

A foundation chaired by Canadian historian Pierre Berton had been calling for a national mid-winter holiday called Heritage Day since the early 1970s. And just one year before it was announced in the Getty government’s 1989 Speech from the Throne, Alberta MLAs debated creating a holiday when Vegreville NDP MLA Derek Fox proposed it in a private members bill.

Read all about it on the Daveberta Substack

Alberta Politics

Alberta’s Separation Referendum — Who’s Going to Stand Up for Canada?

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date February 14, 2026

An Alberta politics deep dive on Craft Politics (originally published on the Daveberta Substack)

I recently joined Joseph Lavoie and Andrew Percy on Craft Politics for a deep dive discussion about Alberta separatism and how it’s shaping Alberta politics in 2026.

We had a broad-ranging discussion about Alberta politics, the current separatist movement’s roots in the COVID-19 pandemic and how its supporters became key players inside the United Conservative Party, and who might lead the pro-Canada campaign in a possible separation referendum later this year.

Alberta Politics

Nenshi’s NDP starts nominating candidates for next Alberta election

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date February 10, 2026

Edmonton-Glenora MLA Sarah Hoffman and NDP leader Naheed Nenshi (source: Sarah Hoffman / Instagram)

Early March candidate meetings scheduled in Calgary and Edmonton ridings

With rumours of an early provincial election circulating since last year, the Alberta NDP looks like it will be the first political party out of the gate to nominate candidates ahead of the next vote.

The NDP website lists candidate nomination meetings scheduled in Edmonton-Glenora on March 3, Calgary-Elbow on March 4, Calgary-Klein on March 5, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview on March 6 and Calgary-Edgemont on March 7.

All five of these ridings are represented by NDP MLAs who will be seeking re-election if they secure their party’s nominations.

Longtime Daveberta readers will know that I am keenly interested in tracking candidate nominations ahead of provincial and federal elections in Alberta, so I am pleased to share with you that I am continuing this tradition as we approach the next election.

Read all about it on the Daveberta Substack

Tags Alberta Election 2026, Alberta Election 2027, Alberta Election Candidate Nominations, Alberta NDP, Alberta Political Party Fundraising, Alberta Politics Substack, Alison Redford, Amarjeet Sohi, Calgary-Edgemont, Calgary-Elbow, Calgary-Klein, Calgary-Mountain View, Calgary-Shaw, Canada Election Substack, Chantelle de Jonge, Cole Sunderman, Corporate Donations, Dale Aalbers, Dale Nally, Dan Williams, Danielle Smith, Daveberta Substack, David Eggen, Deron Bilous, Devin Dreeshen, Doug Schweitzer, Ed Ewasiuk, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview, Edmonton-Glenora, Edmonton-Glenora-Riverview, Edmonton-Riverview, Grant Notley, Greg Clark, Jason Kenney, Jason Nixon, Jennifer Johnson, Jeremy Nixon, Jordan Walker, Joseph Schow, Julia Hayter, Justin Wright, Kathleen Ganley, Kyle Kasawski, Lizette Tejada, Luke Suvanto, Mark Carney, Mark Miller, Mike Burton, Money in Politics, Naheed Nenshi, Nate Glubish, Nolan Dyck, Peggy Wright, Peter Guthrie, Prasad Panda, Progressive Tory Party of Alberta, Rachel Notley, Ralph Klein, Ray Martin, Raymond Donnelly, Rebecca Schulz, Richard Sigurdson, Rosemarie Falk, Samir Kayande, Sarah Hoffman, Searle Turton, Shannon Stubbs, Sherwood Park, United Conservative Party

Alberta Politics

Who’s going to stand up for Canada in Alberta’s separation referendum?

Post author By Dave Cournoyer
Post date February 6, 2026

Alberta separatist leaders Dr. Dennis Modry (left) and Mitch Sylvestre (right) with Premier Danielle Smith (centre) at the UCP fundraising dinner in Bonnyville in May 2025 (source: Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul UCP / Facebook)

The time to stand up for a Strong Alberta within a Strong Canada is now.

It’s still unclear who will lead the pro-Canada side in a referendum campaign that could happen as early as fall of this year. This is likely because a lot of prominent supporters of federalism in Alberta have had a hard time believing Albertans would vote in favour of separation or that a referendum will even be held in the first place.

Polls show support for Alberta leaving Canada sits at around 28 per cent and drops to 15 per cent when people are faced with the possible consequences, but this is not the time for Albertans who also count themselves as proud Canadians to be complacent.

In another time, the Premier of Alberta would be a strong voice against separatism, but Danielle Smith is now leading a party with an activist base deeply engaged in the separatist movement and she is not interested in upsetting that base of supporters.

Alberta Belongs in Canada