Nearly two years after Justice Marie-Josée Hogue highlighted growing foreign interference threats to Canadian democracy, the challenge has intensified, with increased efforts to destabilize local elections across the country. The upcoming Oct. 19 referendum in Alberta is already a focal point for such disruptions, raising concerns over the capacity of election management bodies (EMBs) to safeguard the integrity of the vote.

Amendments to the Canada Elections Act introduced in the recently passed Bill C-25 respond to some of Hogue’s recommendations by enhancing existing defenses against foreign interference. However, experts and officials argue that support for provincial, territorial, and municipal EMBs remains inadequate, particularly as they prepare for the complexities of the Alberta referendum.

The separatist movement in Alberta has become a target for various foreign actors aiming to amplify divisions. Analysts have identified inauthentic accounts linked to Russian actors promoting separatist content, while groups from Indonesia and the Netherlands have sought to manipulate social media discourse by posing as genuine Albertans. Additionally, there are concerns about individuals connected to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration fostering relationships with Alberta separatists, potentially providing amplification and financial backing to election-related messaging.

Foreign interference efforts often seek to sow doubt about the legitimacy of electoral processes and outcomes. EMBs bear the primary responsibility for countering such narratives and maintaining public trust. Elections Alberta has confronted misinformation surrounding the referendum’s citizen-initiative petition process and now faces the logistical challenges of administering one of the largest electoral efforts in Canadian history. The referendum involves 10 separate questions and will require hiring over 60,000 temporary staff, compounded by recent legislative changes mandating hand-counting of ballots.

In this context, federal authorities are being urged to establish a sustainable framework for information-sharing that enables timely and practical threat intelligence to reach election administrators directly, not solely political leadership. Regular briefings on emerging threats are deemed essential for frontline personnel to effectively counter interference.

Legal ambiguities also complicate enforcement, particularly regarding foreign funding. If foreign entities channel money through Canadian intermediaries to influence public opinion ahead of the referendum, it remains unclear whether such activity contravenes the Canada Elections Act or its amendments in Bill C-25—especially if the messaging does not explicitly involve political advertising or particular ballot questions. Furthermore, unless these actors are clearly affiliated with foreign governments or political parties, their actions may fall outside the scope of the Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act.

Public Safety Canada, the Foreign Influence Transparency Commissioner, and Elections Canada are expected to collaborate closely with EMBs to clarify these boundaries and enhance public awareness of the risks posed by covert foreign financing.

Experts point to recent precedents, such as Russian state media’s payment of US$10 million to a company run by Canadian citizens ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, which was used to distribute Kremlin propaganda through American conservative influencers unaware of the source. Such examples underscore the real and present nature of interference threats facing the Alberta referendum.

As divisive issues like separatism persist in Canadian political discourse, the risk of malign foreign actors exploiting these fractures to weaken democratic resilience remains high. Federal partners in Ottawa are under pressure to provide tangible and immediate support to election administrators confronting these challenges well before the federal election cycle resumes. With the Alberta referendum less than four months away, officials warn that foreign interference will not pause for electoral calendars.