Alberta tables a bill to end DEI hiring in the public sector

The bill, tabled by Justice Minister Mickey Amery, would bar public agencies, Crown corporations, post-secondary schools, school boards and municipalities from using DEI policies to hire. Mandatory DEI training would also end, except where a job needs it.

"Albertans expect public institutions to hire and promote the best-qualified people and ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed," Premier Danielle Smith said.

— Premier Danielle Smith

NDP member Kathleen Ganley called it "a solution in want of a problem". The head of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees said public employers already hire the best candidates.

Maximum fine

10,000 $

The same bill adds penalties for sharing or threatening to share digitally altered intimate images without consent: fines up to $10,000, up to two years in prison, or both.