Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announces new citizenship markers on driver's licenses. (Photo: Canadian Press)

By Canadian Press

Alberta adds citizenship status to ID cards to streamline service, protect elections

Sep 15, 2025 | 12:16 PM

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is adding proof of citizenship markers to driver’s licences and other forms of identification to streamline services and prevent election fraud.

She says this will make it easier for students and the disabled to get funding, given that they have to prove their citizenship to do so.

She says the goal is also to protect democracy to make sure that only citizens vote.

Smith says non-citizens, like permanent residents, who can get a driver’s licence will not have any notation on their IDs.

Alberta Health Care numbers will also be added to driver’s licences.

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The citizenship marker will appear as the letters CAN on the identification.

Lizette Tejada, Alberta’s New Democrat Shadow Minister for Immigration and Multiculturalism, issued the following statement in response:

“This UCP government has not been able to provide clarity on why this citizenship marker is necessary. Other than voting, we cannot identify any programs that are exclusively offered to Canadian citizens.

“Is the UCP government now planning on illegally and unconstitutionally restricting programs from legal residents of Canada?

“Instead of reducing red tape this will be a headache for Canadian-born citizens who will now have to present either a passport, that over 1/3 of Albertans don’t have, or find their old birth certificate just to renew their driver’s licence.

“Once again, this government engages in virtue signaling while creating bureaucracy and red tape for everyone.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2025.

(The Canadian Press)

(With files from rdnewsNOW)