Elections Alberta says spoof site exposed gap in deepfake law

Alberta’s chief electoral officer says a website that impersonated Elections Alberta exposed what he says is a gap in the province’s new election disinformation rules, leaving his office without authority to investigate. Gordon McClure, who oversees provincial elections, said the incident highlighted a limitation in Alberta’s recently enacted deepfake provisions, which target misleading deepfakes involving [...]

Article content Alberta’s chief electoral officer says a website that impersonated Elections Alberta exposed what he says is a gap in the province’s new election disinformation rules, leaving his office without authority to investigate. Gordon McClure, who oversees provincial elections, said the incident highlighted a limitation in Alberta’s recently enacted deepfake provisions, which target misleading deepfakes involving candidates but do not cover website impersonation or other forms of online disinformation. Recommended Videos “Disinformation activities of this nature were not included in the newly created ‘Deepfake’ provisions in the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, and my Office does not have the legislative authority or jurisdiction to act or investigate this site,” McClure said.

McClure said the website appeared intended to undermine public confidence in Elections Alberta and the electoral process. “I believe this disinformation activity is intended to ‘spoof’ Elections Alberta and is an attempt to reduce public confidence in my Office and electoral events in Alberta,” he said. The comments raise questions about whether Alberta’s election laws address efforts to target election institutions, rather than candidates alone.

Asked whether the incident exposed a gap in the legislation, Justice Minister Mickey Amery’s office said Bill 23 was designed to address misleading deepfakes involving candidates. “Alberta’s government introduced Bill 23, the Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, to keep our elections fair and honest by prohibiting the creation and distribution of deepfakes that are likely to mislead voters about the conduct or statements of a candidate,” press secretary Heather Jenkins said in a statement. Jenkins did not say whether the government is considering legislative changes, saying only that it would “continue to monitor such spoof websites and consider additional action if necessary.”

In a subsequent response, Elections Alberta pointed to broader approaches adopted in other provinces and federally. Elections Alberta media relations spokesperson Maia-Lys Hanrahan said the deepfake provisions introduced through Bill 23 were intended to modernize Alberta’s election laws to address issues arising from new technologies. “Legislation in other Canadian jurisdictions addresses misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation more broadly,” she said.

Some provinces have taken a broader approach. British Columbia and Manitoba have enacted provisions addressing false information about election administration and election officials, while federal election law includes offences for impersonating election officials with intent to mislead. Hanrahan said Elections Alberta makes recommendations to government when the chief electoral officer determines legislative changes are necessary to improve electoral laws and processes.

She said the agency continues to monitor spoof websites and report them to appropriate authorities. The electionsab.ca domain now appears to redirect users to Elections Alberta’s official website. McClure said the matter was referred to law-enforcement and cybersecurity agencies.

Elections Alberta has not identified who operated the website and has not attributed it to any individual, organization or foreign actor.