Elections Alberta has determined that the Alberta New Democratic Party violated election finance laws during its 2024 leadership race, after an investigation prompted by a United Conservative Party complaint.
The UCP faced a similar investigation surrounding their 2017 leadership vote. The RCMP concluded that for the UCP, no wrongdoing was committed.
The same cannot be said for the Alberta NDP, which Elections Alberta cited for violating the rules governing membership fees in the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act.
The Alberta UCP filed a complaint with Elections Alberta against the provincial NDP in Feb. 2024, claiming that the party was breaching the Elections Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act, which says that an annual membership fee is not considered a contribution.
The Act says that a membership fee cannot be considered a contribution if it does not exceed $50 and proper documentation is kept.
In the initial complaint, the UCP also alleged that the NDP’s membership forms unlawfully equated membership fees with contributions, stating that the NDP constitution treated donations over $10 as automatic membership renewals, which violates election rules.
The Election Commissioner of Elections Alberta can investigate any complaint or allegation that may violate the legislation.
Elections Alberta issued a compliance agreement on July 31, 2024, that will be in effect for one year.
“The Alberta NDP was not in compliance with the EFCDA when memberships were renewed as the result of an individual making a contribution in a subsequent year,” said the contravention summary.
The province’s election regulator said that the Alberta NDP has taken corrective action and will implement various practices to ensure future sales of party memberships comply with legislation.
“When an Alberta NDP member makes a contribution in a subsequent membership year, the party will not automatically renew that person’s membership. If party membership is being continued, the contribution receipt should not include the membership fee; and the Alberta NDP must use a membership form that does not use the word ‘donation’ and, if it mentions contributions, that membership fees and contributions are treated distinctly,” reads the compliance agreement.
Fines for violating the Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act range from $1,000 to $100,000 for the most serious offences. Fines for violating a compliance agreement are capped at $5,000, according to the Local Authorities Elections Act.
Former Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi won the recent Alberta NDP leadership race on the first ballot with 86% of the vote.
“How many ‘NDP members’ are actually illegitimate now… Did Nenshi win the @albertaNDP leadership race because of these fake members?” asked Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen in a post to X.
In Dec. 2023, the Alberta NDP had 16,224 members. During the leadership campaign, this number grew to 85,144.
Amanda Freistadt, Chief Returning Officer of the Alberta NDP Leadership Race, said that the leadership rules set by the provincial council “ensured a process with a high level of integrity and transparency.”
Elections Alberta subsequently discovered that these rules were violated.
The Alberta UCP posted to X, highlighting that the NDP was caught inflating both membership and donation numbers.
“They were literally giving way memberships to people who never bought them! You can’t trust a word they say about their numbers,” wrote the party.