Alberta to Add Citizenship Markers on Driver’s Licences
Alberta is preparing to make a major change to its identification system. Premier Danielle Smith has announced that proof of Canadian citizenship will soon be added directly onto provincial driver’s licences and other government-issued IDs. The goal, according to Smith, is to make everyday services more accessible while also strengthening election security.
She explained that students, people with disabilities, and others applying for provincial supports are often required to prove citizenship separately, which can be an extra burden. By having a clear citizenship marker on IDs, this process would be streamlined. Smith said it would help people access student aid, health benefits, or disability supports more quickly and conveniently.
At the same time, the move has also been described as a way to protect democracy in Alberta. By ensuring that only Canadian citizens can vote, the province believes this change will safeguard the integrity of elections. The new marker will appear as the simple label “CAN” on identification cards. For non-citizens, such as permanent residents, no additional notation will be displayed.
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Smith pointed out that this would be the first time a Canadian province has taken such a broad step. Ontario has previously issued special licences with citizenship identifiers, but only for U.S. border-crossing purposes. Alberta, however, plans to use it as part of its standard identification system.
This development is also taking place while the Alberta government is considering other provincial-level changes, including the idea of a provincial immigration program. Some proposals under discussion involve withholding services from newcomers who are not approved through Alberta’s system. When asked if the new citizenship markers might eventually tie into those policies, Smith said the current decision is meant to solve separate issues but left the door open for future use.
Another element being introduced is the inclusion of health care numbers on driver’s licences. Smith revealed that Alberta has more than 530,000 extra health care numbers registered compared to the actual population of the province. While Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally initially described these as possible fake numbers, Smith characterized them as having “unknown status.” Regardless of the explanation, the government says adding health care numbers to ID cards will make it easier to track inconsistencies.
Nally emphasized that the move is not about discrimination but about improving security and efficiency. He said that without updated cards, the province simply does not know the full scope of the problem. Legislation to enable the new system is expected to be introduced this fall, with the changes likely coming into effect next year.
In addition, the province has described the update as part of a complete redesign of Alberta’s driver’s licences and ID cards, with more details to be released in the coming months. For now, Albertans are being told to expect a system that is faster, clearer, and designed to better protect both public services and the democratic process.
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