Alberta government tables bill to end public sector hiring policies based on DEI

EDMONTON – Alberta is looking to end public sector hiring practices aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion.

A government bill tabled Tuesday, if passed, would prohibit a number of public bodies from using DEI policies to make hiring decisions.

Premier Danielle Smith said hiring needs to be based on merit and qualifications so that everyone has a fair chance at getting jobs.

“Albertans expect public institutions to hire and promote the best qualified people and ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed based on their skills, experience and qualifications,” Smith told reporters in Edmonton.

“These changes will help to ensure that fairness is at the heart of hiring.”

The bill covers public agencies, Crown corporations, post-secondary schools, school boards and municipalities. However, government officials said provincial employees are already hired based on merit.

The officials also said the change could apply to non-profit agencies receiving government grants, but that would be determined through future regulations.

They said there would be some exceptions to the prohibition but didn’t provide examples.

The proposed legislation would further prohibit public bodies from having mandatory DEI training for staff, except when necessary for the job. Other mandatory training would be required to be “ideologically neutral” and focus on job duties and skills.

The bill, tabled by Justice Minister Mickey Amery, specifically targets the Alberta Human Rights Act.

The government said it’s changing a section of the act that allows for policies and programs aiming to uplift those who may be disadvantaged because of their race, disability, gender or gender expression, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, age or other personal circumstance, including marital status.

Officials said hiring and promotion practices would continue to be subject to other protections or provisions under the act.

Opposition NDP member Kathleen Ganley said the NDP hasn’t heard any concerns about DEI hiring practices, leaving her to think the changes are more aimed at distracting from issues that are far bigger priorities for Albertans, like affordability and health care.

“This is a solution in want of a problem,” Ganley said.

Sandra Azocar, the president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, agreed with Ganley, saying public sector employers already hire the best candidates.

Azocar, whose union represents nearly 100,000 workers that are mostly in the public sector, said she believes Smith is trying to appease the “extreme factions” within her party.

“This is pure dog whistle politics.”

It’s not the first time Smith’s United Conservative Party government has cracked down on DEI policies. 

Last year, it passed legislation prohibiting professional regulatory bodies, including the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, from making members undergo training around diversity initiatives.

That legislation also limits what behaviour regulatory bodies can police their members on. The government said at the time that it was inspired by Ontario psychologist and social media personality Jordan Peterson, who was sanctioned by his province’s professional regulator for controversial public statements.

Amery’s bill also aims to make changes to other provincial laws, including added penalties for the distribution or threat of distribution of digitally altered intimate images without consent.

While the issue is mainly a federal Criminal Code matter, Alberta has laws that allow residents to take civil court action.

The bill aims to capture other types of content, including audio recordings, livestreams and images created using artificial intelligence.

The government said those who violate the law could face fines up to $10,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. It also said the bill would allow the courts to give community service sentences.

Ganley said the NDP supported these change but said the government’s choice to tie the bill to ending DEI hiring practices was “inappropriate.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2026.