EDMONTON — Alberta’s NDP is accusing individuals allegedly connected to Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party of participating in an online meeting tied to the ongoing Elections Alberta voter data breach investigation, though none of the allegations have been proven.
The Opposition says it obtained a recording of an April 16 online meeting organized by the separatist-linked Centurion Project, a group already under scrutiny following allegations it improperly accessed Alberta’s confidential electors list.
According to the NDP, the attendee list and video recording appear to show individuals identified as “Rob Smith” and “Arundeep Sandhu” participating in the call.
The party alleges those names match the UCP president and a member of the UCP caucus staff working in stakeholder relations.
The Alberta NDP says it has turned the recording over to the RCMP, which is already investigating the broader voter data breach.
The RCMP has not publicly confirmed the authenticity of the video or whether the individuals referenced in the NDP allegations were present.
The Opposition further alleges the video appears to show Centurion Project members demonstrating how to search a database containing Alberta voter information, including a search involving former premier Jason Kenney’s personal information.
The database at the centre of the allegations is believed to have been built using information from Alberta’s electors list, which contains personal information tied to registered voters across the province.
The Court of King’s Bench issued an injunction April 30 connected to the alleged unauthorized use of the data.
The data exposure potentially affects every registered Alberta voter and has raised concerns about identity theft, harassment, political intimidation and misuse of personal information.
The NDP is demanding Premier Smith explain whether the individuals named in the video are affiliated with the UCP and whether any government or party officials were aware of the alleged database access before police publicly acknowledged the investigation in late April.
The Opposition is also questioning why the matter was not reported earlier to Elections Alberta or law enforcement authorities.
Smith has previously said she only became aware of the alleged breach through police statements released April 29 and 30.
Neither the RCMP nor Elections Alberta have publicly accused the UCP government of involvement in the breach investigation.
The RCMP investigation remains ongoing.
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