Bill 33, the Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, proposes amendments to the Alberta Human Rights Act to ensure hiring and promotion decisions in public institutions are based on merit, not diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Public institutions include public agencies, Crown-controlled organizations, public post-secondary institutions, school boards and municipalities.
Amendments to the Protecting Victims of Non-consensual Distribution of Intimate Images Act (Intimate Images Act) would also strengthen protections for victims and help ensure there are real consequences for those who misuse intimate content.
Merit-based hiring practices
Albertans deserve a fair opportunity to compete for public-sector jobs based on their skills, qualifications and experience.
Under the proposed amendments, hiring and promotion decisions in public institutions would be based on merit and job requirements rather than personal characteristics, except where a specific characteristic is genuinely required to perform the work. They would also ensure workplace training is relevant to employee roles and responsibilities rather than mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion training.
“Public institutions should remain focused on their core responsibilities and serving Albertans. They also have a responsibility to lead by example and ensure everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed based on their skills, experience and qualifications. Hiring decisions should be about who is best qualified for the job, and these changes will help ensure that fairness is at the heart of hiring.”
“Albertans deserve to know that public-sector jobs are awarded to the best person for the job based on merit, qualifications and competence. These amendments will support neutral hiring and training practices while ensuring people are hired and promoted based on their skills, experience and ability to do the job well.”
“The more Canadians learn about demographic-based hiring at universities, the less they support it and the less they trust the research those institutions produce. Merit-based hiring is essential to maintaining public confidence in our universities and trust in the research they produce.”
Strengthening protections against intimate deepfakes
A new provincial offence for the non-consensual distribution of altered and unaltered intimate images will be created that could include fines of up to $10,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. Protections would be expanded to include digitally altered and AI-generated intimate images, videos and audio.
Victims would be able to pursue civil legal action when intimate content depicting them is shared without their consent or when someone threatens to share it, even if the content has not been distributed. Albertans would also be able to withdraw consent to the distribution of intimate content and hold people accountable for negligent behaviour that causes intimate content to be distributed.
“While AI can be a powerful driver of productivity, innovation and economic growth, it can also be misused in ways that can cause enormous harm. Our government takes this misuse extremely seriously and we won’t leave Albertans without strong protections and recourse if they are targeted by deepfakes and other forms of intimate content. This legislation would make sure our laws keep pace with the technology and better protect Albertans.”
“The non-consensual creation or sharing of intimate content, whether authentic or AI-generated, is a violation of a person's privacy and can have profound impacts on their sense of safety. The Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services welcomes these proposed changes as an important step toward ensuring Alberta's laws keep pace with technology, strengthen protections, give those who experience sexual violence greater choice and control in seeking justice, and hold those who cause harm accountable.”
Updates to improve and modernize justice legislation
Additional amendments under the Justice Statutes Amendment Act, 2026 (No. 2) will make changes to the Court of King's Bench Act and the King's Counsel Act. Under the King's Counsel Act, amendments will expand eligibility for King's Counsel appointments to ensure lawyers who have made significant contributions to Alberta's legal system are not disadvantaged due to parental or other types of leave. Currently, periods away from practice are not counted toward the years of service required to be eligible for King’s Counsel.
Amendments to the Court of King's Bench Act would further support Alberta's efforts to strengthen the family justice system through the Family Focused Protocol in the Alberta Court of King’s Bench. This will ensure that family and divorce proceedings continue to be resolved through a family-focused approach.
Quick facts
- Hiring or promotion decisions will continue to be subject to existing human rights protections.
- A public institution includes employers that appoint or employ people under the Public Service Act, as well as public agencies, Crown-controlled organizations, public post-secondary institutions, school boards and municipalities.
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