Citizen Initiative Process

Electors can use the citizen initiative process to have a legislative or policy proposal introduced in the legislative assembly or to have a constitutional referendum conducted.

Who Can Apply for a Citizen Initiative Petition?

To file a notice of intent to apply for the issuance of a citizen initiative petition and make an application for a citizen initiative petition, an individual must be an eligible elector – a Canadian citizen, 18 years of age or older, and a resident of Alberta.

The following individuals cannot file or apply:

a sitting member of the Legislature;
the Chief Electoral Officer, Election Commissioner, an election officer, or an individual who is otherwise a member of the Chief Electoral Officer’s office staff;
an individual who is prohibited from being a chief financial officer under section 29(4) of the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act;
an individual who, at any time within the previous 8 years, has been convicted of an offence under the Citizen Initiative Act, the Election Act, or the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act.

How do I Apply?

A notice of intent is the first step in the citizen initiative process. It is completed and submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer by an eligible elector who wishes to apply to have a citizen initiative petition issued. It must include:

The name and contact information of the elector submitting it, including ordinary residence address with postal code, mailing address (if different from place of ordinary residence), and phone number.
A signed statement as part of the notice of intent that they are not disqualified from submitting a notice of intent,
The subject matter of the intended application, which identifies whether their petition will be a legislative proposal, a policy proposal, or a constitutional referendum proposal, as follows:
- For a legislative or policy proposal, this includes a statement setting out the subject matter of the proposed legislation or policy,
- For a constitutional referendum proposal, this includes the proposed question relating to the Constitution of Canada or arising out of a possible change to the Constitution of Canada,
A copy of the written appointment, consent, and statement required for the proponent’s chief financial officer (CFO), along with their contact information. The proponent may not act as the CFO,
The elector’s ID, consisting of one piece of photo ID with their residential address issued by a Canadian government or government agency, or two pieces of authorized ID, both of which show the elector’s name and at least one which includes the elector’s current residential address.

If the proponent is eligible to file and apply, and the notice of intent contains the required information, the Chief Electoral Officer will provide written notice and publish a copy of the filed notice of intent on this website. This will include a 30-day period during which the proponent’s application must be received.

Applications for a citizen initiative petition are submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer.

Applicants must provide:

A completed application for Citizen Initiative Petition,
Authorized identification proving the elector’s identity and current address in Alberta, and
The $25,000 application fee, paid by cash, certified cheque, and/or bank or postal money order made payable to “Government of Alberta”.*

*Prior to Order in Council amending the Citizen Initiative Regulation on December 17, 2025, the application fee was $500. The fee for applications that were in progress but ended by Bill 14 on December 11, 2025, is waived if the elector files their notice of intent before January 11, 2026.

The Application for Citizen Initiative Petition requires the proponent to provide a statement of the subject matter of the application that corresponds to the notice of intent and meets the following requirements:

For legislative or policy proposals a statement setting out the subject matter of the proposed legislation or proposed policy.
For constitutional referendum proposals a proposed question relating to the Constitution of Canada or arising out of a possible change to the Constitution of Canada.

When Can an Application be Made?

A notice of intent to apply for the issuance of a citizen initiative petition can be made at any time except during a Provincial General Election.

An application for a citizen initiative petition must be made within 30 days after the proponent has filed a notice of intent and has received written notice from the Chief Electoral Officer..

If a citizen initiative petition is active when a Provincial General Election is called, the petition process is terminated, but the proponent can apply to continue the process within 30 days after Election Day.

What is the Approval Process for a Citizen Initiative Application?

In considering the proponent’s application, the Chief Electoral Officer may consult with and advise whether the application and proponent meet the requirements in the legislation.

No later than 7 days* after the date on which the proponent applied, the Chief Electoral Office must determine if the requirements above have been met.

If they have been met, the Chief Electoral Officer will notify the proponent within 7 days of the date of determination and publish a Notice of Initiative Petition on the Elections Alberta website. This notice will include the application and statement provided by the proponent. The Minister of Justice will also be notified and receive a copy of the application.

If the Chief Electoral Officer is not satisfied the requirements have been met, the Chief Electoral Officer will reject the application and notify the applicant of the rejection and the reasons for the rejection.

* Prior to December 11, 2025, the Chief Electoral Officer had 30 days to determine whether to approve or reject applications received.

When is the Initiative Petition Issued?

The Notice of Initiative Petition must be published for 7 days prior to issuing the citizen initiative petition.

At the end of the 7-day notice publication period, Elections Alberta will:

Issue the citizen initiative petition.
Publish a notice on this website that the petition has been issued, the dates of the signing period, and the number of signatures required for a successful petition.
Issue the citizen initiative petition signature sheet to the proponent in the format that must be used. Each citizen initiative petition proponent will be provided a petition signature sheet by the Chief Electoral Officer which must be used as the master form for collecting petition signatures. Signatures collected on other or incorrect forms will not be accepted.

The proponent is responsible for:

Making copies of the petition signature sheet issued by Elections Alberta and providing them to registered canvassers.
Providing proponent campaign contact information and answering canvasser and citizen/elector questions about the citizen initiative signature collection period. Please do not direct canvassers or electors to Elections Alberta for information about the campaign.
Providing canvassers with information on the process, timelines, contacts, supplies, and any other training and direction they feel is necessary to complete the canvassing period and ensure canvassers are following the requirements for signature collection.

How do I Register Canvassers?

The proponent must register every individual they wish to have canvass on their behalf, using the Application to Canvass for an Initiative Petition.

Proponents are responsible for:

Providing potential canvassers with the Application to Canvass for an Initiative Petition form.
Ensuring canvassers are eligible electors (18+ year of age, ordinarily resident in Alberta, and a Canadian citizen).
Ensuring canvasser applications are complete and legible. If they are not, they cannot be processed and will be returned to the proponent to be corrected. The proponent is responsible for having these revised and completed correctly and resubmitting them to Elections Alberta.
Collecting completed registration forms and sending them to Elections Alberta, following the instructions provided by Elections Alberta.
Keeping canvasser applicants informed on when their applications were submitted to Elections Alberta and handling inquiries about them.
Ensuring duplicate applications are not sent to Elections Alberta.
Ensure canvassers understand and comply with the requirements of the legislation and Elections Alberta’s direction for collecting signatures.
Returning all issued canvasser ID badges to Elections Alberta.

Elections Alberta is responsible for:

Reviewing the applications and returning incomplete or invalid applications to the proponent.
Registering canvassers.
Providing each registered canvasser with identification documents (ID) that must be produced, on request, while canvassing.

Elections Alberta will send out canvasser identification within 2 to 3 business days of receiving completed and valid applications from the proponent. This may be extended should a significant volume of canvasser applications for badges be received in a short time period. Please note that statutory holidays and office closures may affect this timeline.

What are the Requirements for Collecting Signatures?

Only signatures collected as outlined below, on official Citizen Initiative petition signature sheets issued to the proponent by Elections Alberta, will be accepted. Canvassing and signature collection cannot begin before the Chief Electoral Officer issues the official initiative petition.

Proponents are responsible for:

Ensuring canvassers have copies of the official petition signature sheets.
All costs associated with collecting signatures, including canvasser supplies (such as pens and clipboards), signage, advertising, communications, space rental, permits, etc.
All logistics and scheduling for canvassers and collection.
Telling people where, when, and how to sign their petition.
Collecting signatures totalling at least 10% of the total number of votes cast in the most recent provincial general election for the petition to be successful. It is recommended additional signatures be collected in case any signatures are invalidated during the verification process.

Only registered canvassers may collect signatures on the petition, view electors’ authorized identification**, and witness each signature collected.

Registered canvassers must:

Collect signatures using the petition signature sheets issued to the proponent by Elections Alberta. Signatures collected on any other form are not valid and will not be counted.
View electors’ ID which proves their identity and status as an elector (either one piece of government-issued photo ID with their name and current residential address or two pieces of authorized ID with their name, one of which of which has their current residential address).*
Witness each of the signatures collected.
Sign each page of the petition containing signatures witnessed by them with:
- Their name, residential address, and phone number* and
- A statement confirming the signatures were provided by individuals who are eligible to sign the petition and that each individual produced proof of their identity as an elector.*
Produce their canvasser identification documents on request while canvassing.
Not accept any inducement or monetary benefit for canvassing.
Comply with the Canvasser Code of Conduct and any guidelines for canvassing issued by the Chief Electoral Officer.
Return their canvasser ID to the proponent on or before the last day of the citizen initiative petition signing period.

All signatures must be collected within the 120-day initiative petition signature period.*

See Citizen Initiative FAQs for more information.

*For petitions issued before December 11, 2025, canvassers must sign each sheet with their name and contact information, and are not required to see the ID of individuals signing the petition.

What are the Requirements for Signing a Petition?

To be eligible to sign a petition, an individual must be an eligible elector on the date they sign the petition.

An elector signing the petition must:

Produce proof of their identity and status of an elector with one piece of government-issued photo ID with their name and current residential address or two pieces of authorized ID with their name, one of which of which has their current residential address.*
print their surname and given names legibly;
print the residential address where they ordinarily reside at the time of signing;
provide their telephone number and/or email address;
confirm they are an eligible elector; and
date it on the date they signed the petition.

An individual may only sign the citizen initiative petition once and only during the citizen initiative petition signing period.

All signatures must be original signature. No digital, photocopied, or online signatures will be accepted.

See Citizen Initiative FAQs for more information.

**For petitions approved and issued before December 11, 2025, electors signing a citizen initiative petition are not required to produce their ID for canvassers.

When Do I Submit the Petition?

The proponent must submit all petition signature sheets to Elections Alberta on or before the 120^th day of canvassing*.

The submission must be organized, packaged, and labelled as directed by Elections Alberta and made to Elections Alberta’s head office in Edmonton. The proponent is responsible for any shipping and transportation charges and ensuring the complete materials shipment arrives on time.

Any petition received after the citizen initiative petition signing period ends will not be accepted for verification.

Once the petition is submitted, no further signatures may be added to the petition and no additional signature sheets may be submitted.

When Do I Submit the Financial Disclosure Reports?

The proponent’s chief financial officer must submit a citizen initiative petition expense report consisting of a financial statement, a contribution report, an expense report, and supporting information and documents. The report is due within 30 days after the signature sheet submission date or within 30 days after the petition signing period expires, whichever is earlier. The report is required even if the petition has been withdrawn or terminated. In addition, audited financial statements must be filed within six months after the citizen initiative petition period if citizen initiative petition expenses exceed $350,000.

Failure to meet a filing deadline will result in an automatic late filing fee of $500. In addition, failure to submit reports may result in a determination the petition was unsuccessful.

What is the Petition Verification Process?

Elections Alberta will verify the petition within 21 days of the date the petition was submitted using the method as prescribed in the Act to achieve a 95% confidence level.

The verification process includes:

Confirmation that only the petition signature sheets as provided to the applicant were used in the collection of signatures;
Confirmation that only original signatures have been collected;
A review of every signature to ensure the required information was provided (full name, physical address, contact information, date, signature);
Confirmation that every signature on the petition was witnessed by a registered canvasser, and each page was signed with the canvasser’s name, residential address, and phone number, and includes the statement confirming each elector signing was eligible and produced the required ID;
A random sample to confirm the signatories’ addresses are in Alberta; and
Contacting a random sample of signatories to confirm their information is correct and they signed the petition.

As soon as practical after completing the petition verification, Elections Alberta will report the results on the Elections Alberta website.

For a successful petition, Elections Alberta will submit a copy of the legislative or policy proposal to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly or submit a copy of the constitutional referendum proposal to the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, as the case may be.

What are the Requirements after the Results of the Petition are Published?

Within two days of the publication of the results of the initiative petition, the proponent must:

Return the citizen initiative petition and all canvasser identification documents to Elections Alberta;
Destroy all additional physical and digital copies of signatures sheets made by the proponent or canvassers; and
Submit to Elections Alberta a signed affidavit confirming all signature sheets have been returned and all copies destroyed.

No one, including the proponent, may collect, use, disclose, or retain personal information, except as authorized in the Act. The penalty for being guilty of this offence is a fine of between $50,000 and $500,000 in the case of an individual or between $500,000 and $1,000,000 in the case of corporation, organization, or group.

What happens following a Successful Petition?

As outlined in the Citizen Initiative Act, the following duties will be executed:

Legislative Proposal

The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly shall lay the proposal before the Legislative Assembly if it is then sitting, or if it is not then sitting, within 15 days after the commencement of the next sitting.
Within 10 sitting days, the Government shall bring forward a motion to have the proposal referred to a committee of the Legislative Assembly.
Within 90 days if the Assembly is sitting, or within 15 days after the commencement of the next sitting, the committee may either table a report recommending that a bill be introduced at the earliest practicable opportunity or table a report recommending the Chief Electoral Officer hold an initiative vote.
If the Legislative Assembly concurs with the introduction of a bill, the Government shall introduce the bill at the earliest practicable opportunity.

Policy Proposal

The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly shall lay the proposal before the Legislative Assembly if it is then sitting, or if it is not then sitting, within 15 days after the commencement of the next sitting.
Within 10 sitting days, the Government shall bring forward a motion to have the proposal referred to a committee of the Legislative Assembly.
Within 90 days if the Assembly is sitting, or within 15 days after the commencement of the next sitting, the committee may either table a report with respect to the policy proposal at the earliest practicable opportunity or table a report recommending the policy proposal be referred to the Lieutenant Governor in Council for the purpose of a referendum.
A report recommending the proposal and report be referred for the purpose of a referendum may include recommendations respecting the form and substance of the question or questions to be put to the electors in a referendum.*
A referendum must be held on or before the fixed date of the next provincial general election. If that date is less than one year after the date the recommendation is tabled, the referendum must be held before the provincial general election following the next provincial general election.

*This does not apply to petition policy proposal applications approved and following a process under the Act as it read prior to December 11, 2025.

Constitutional Referendum Proposal

The Minister shall refer to the constitutional referendum proposal to the Lieutenant Governor in Council for the purpose of a constitutional referendum.
The Minister may make recommendations to the Lieutenant Governor in Council respecting changes to the form or substance of the proposed constitutional question that the Minister considers necessary or advisable to ensure the referendum will result in a clear expression of the will of electors and the question is otherwise suitable to be put electors at a constitutional referendum.
A referendum must be held on or before the fixed date for the next provincial general election, If that date is less than one year after the date on which the Minister receives a copy of the constitutional referendum proposal, the referendum must be held before the provincial general election following the next provincial general election.

Initiative Vote

If the Legislative Assembly refers an initiative petition to the Chief Electoral Officer:

An initiative vote must be held on or before the fixed date of the next provincial general election. If that date is less than one year after the date the report recommending the initiative vote is tabled, the initiative vote must be held before the provincial general election following the next provincial general election
An initiative vote is successful if more than 50% of the electors who voted vote in favour of the initiative.