“Foreign countries and local groups could use stolen data and online tricks to manipulate an Alberta referendum, like what happened with Brexit. I want to know what the government will do to protect our votes and keep the country together.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to pursue a question I initially asked on February 12 of this year, and it is one about which, regardless of party, I think most people in this House are concerned. The question I asked related to knowing the concern we have in this place of foreign interference in elections and, particularly, the experience we have had on many issues that were brought to light by Madam Justice Hogue. I raised the issue of what would happen if there were efforts, potentially from the United States and other countries, to manipulate a potential Alberta referendum. The response I got from the hon. minister was not out of sympathy with the issue I raised. Of course, there is not a complete answer for any of us at this point. We know that Elections Alberta would be in charge of any potential referendum. Since I asked the question on February 12, we now know that the Alberta premier has said she is going to put forward a question about a question, which is murky, confusing and opening up a can of worms. I think a lot of us are holding our breath and hoping she will not do the same thing that David Cameron did when he fatefully and idiotically appeased a small group of his own caucus by deciding to hold a referendum on the U.K. leaving the European Union, and did so absolutely confident that it could not possibly carry because the public opinion showed the vast majority of the people of England and Wales liked being part of the EU. That was before we heard names like Cambridge Analytica and found out how effectively algorithms and data mining could be used to convince people. There is an extremely good film that explains all this in Hollywood fashion, but it is rooted in facts and very well done. It is called Brexit: The Uncivil War with Benedict Cumberbatch. It is absolutely terrifying to watch because it reminds us of what we watched in real time as Britain was divided and people believed absolute nonsense because they were convinced it was the truth. We now have a situation where we know for a fact that David Parker, one of the leaders of the Centurion Project, is behind a major data breach. Alberta voter information was put up on public websites. Our former colleague in this place and former premier of Alberta, Jason Kenney, is very concerned, and for very good reason. This information included a lot of private information put up in public places. As I mentioned, David Parker is one of the leaders of the separatist movement in Alberta. Would he be concerned, I ask, about advice from Elections Alberta on how to conduct himself? He is not going to be concerned. He has already described Elections Alberta as an “evil” institution. This is extraordinary. The privacy breaches that have occurred in Alberta should make everyone very concerned. We have heard from a Canadian leading expert in national security, Wesley Wark, whose name is known to all of us. From 2005 to 2009, he was a two-term adviser to the prime minister on national security. He has expressed significant concern about what could happen in an Alberta referendum and how we can ensure there is not foreign interference and also domestic interference, such as happened in Brexit. What will the government do to be prepared and hold this country together?”

“Indigenous rights and treaties protect our whole country. The federal government should go to court alongside First Nations like the Mikisew Cree to stop Alberta from taking their treaty lands.”

“Mr. Speaker, in the minute I have left, first of all, I want to thank to the hon. representative of the government here in the House. This was very helpful. I think we need to, as Canadians, as settler culture people, understand how profoundly fortunate we are that indigenous rights and rights holders are protected under section 35 of the Constitution. With the honour of the Crown being at stake, the treaties achieved by the treaty peoples of Alberta with the Crown and the indigenous nations of Alberta with the Crown are probably our best way to hold the country together. The federal government should be in court every step of the way, joining with the Mikisew Cree and others in ensuring an injunction against the very idea that lands that were committed to indigenous peoples before the province of Alberta existed are protected, and treaty rights protect us all and protect Canada.”

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