By Stan Ashbee
Recently, a letter was written and submitted to the Government of Alberta by a group of Albertan scholars of politics, law, public administration, and democratic governance to express their “serious concern regarding the potential misuse of Alberta’s List of Electors.”
“We urge the Government of Alberta to establish such an inquiry without delay, and all Albertans to speak to their friends and family and contact their MLAs with their concerns,” it was stated in the letter.
University of Lethbridge Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science Dr. Yale Belanger said the data privacy breach is incredibly significant, “even if the UCP is currently trying to downplay it in the Legislature.”
Once it was online, the List of Electors was copied by those who were able to acquire it, and it’s never going to be recovered,” Belanger explained. “Notwithstanding an RCMP investigation or further probes into the issue, that data — it’s vanished. In all likelihood, it will remain in the hands of those who have acquired it.”
Belanger noted the letter, signed by dozens of colleagues, calls for a public inquiry into the breach of the voter list that would run alongside the existing police investigations. “My perspective is Albertans need an answer to this. It’s required if we’re going to re-establish trust.”
“It’s needed prior to the referendum in October, because ultimately, until I have a clear understanding of how my data may have been extracted and utilized, and perhaps used against me, I’m not going to be entirely comfortable walking into the ballot and casting a vote,” Belanger added.
Belanger believes many Albertans, in one way or another, feel completely violated by this event.
“Now that the horse is out of the barn, we can’t close that door, unfortunately. The best thing to do is to reach out to your local MLA and express your dissatisfaction with the situation. Better yet, call the Premier’s office and in a very polite fashion, express your anger and demand accountability, demand a public inquiry, and demand that she and her government actually respond to the complaints of what looks like to be a majority of Albertans at this point,” Belanger said. “If you remain silent and angry, nothing will be accomplished. The only way to rectify this situation is to reach out to those who hold those governing positions and let them know what you think.”
Right now, Belanger noted the referendum is in question. “Every group that’s been out there collecting petition signatures is hurt by this consequence. I think all the groups that have been collecting signatures would like to see an inquiry, because it would help their individual campaigns.”
“Supporters feel cheated right now. I would argue that the system’s being gamed. A lot of money has been spent in this case and maybe spent on civil suits in the future,” added Belanger.
