By Canadian Press

election commissioner to be fired

Alberta government passes bill to fire election watchdog

Nov 21, 2019 | 12:52 PM

EDMONTON — The Alberta government has passed a bill to fire election commissioner Lorne Gibson, raising questions about the future of his investigation into Premier Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party.

The government introduced the bill on Monday and invoked time limits on all three stages of debate and it was passed this morning.

Prior to the final vote, Opposition NDP critic Sarah Hoffman said it was shameful that Kenney wasn’t in the legislature to defend a bill that fires the man investigating his party.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley says the government’s decision to pass the bill was a dark day for democracy.

Premier Kenney says firing the election commissioner will save about one million dollars over five years.

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Speaking from Texas, Kenney says it will also restores election investigations to the way they were under the chief electoral officer before the previous NDP government created Gibson’s job in 2018.

He says he expects ongoing investigations will proceed, including the one against his party.

The bill makes the election commissioner’s job a staff position under the chief electoral officer rather than an independent office of the legislature, and specifies that Gibson’s contract be terminated.

The UCP says there is nothing to stop a new election commissioner from continuing the investigation, but the NDP says Gibson’s firing will have a chill effect and the probe will die.

Gibson has been looking into fundraising violations tied to the 2017 UCP leadership race and has levied more than $200,000 in fines to date.

Kenney won the race and earlier this year the United Conservatives won the provincial election.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2019.