Danielle Smith announces legislation to end DEI hiring practices in Alberta government | FULL

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Justice Minister Mickey Amery announceed “merit-based” public-sector hiring legislation on Tuesday that is intended to prohibit institutions from making "hiring decisions based on personal characteristics such as race, religious beliefs, gender, or gender identity."

Amery's bill also aims to make changes to other provincial laws, including added penalties for the distribution or threat of distribution of digitally altered intimate images without consent.

The bill aims to capture other types of content, including audio recordings, livestreams and images created using artificial intelligence. Those who violate the law could face fines up to $10,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both.

Smith’s UCP government has previously introduced legislation that targets diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices within regulatory bodies. The Regulated Professions Neutrality Act - dubbed the “Peterson law” — was introduced in 2025, and narrowed what kind of behaviour regulated professionals can be disciplined for by their regulators.

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees president Sandra Azocar criticized the proposal, suggesting it resembled a “thinly veiled act of institutionalized racism” that would divide Albertans.

“The government is looking for a scapegoat for a problem that does not exist,” she added.

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