February 8, 2019 (Edmonton) – Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel is asking the Court of Queen’s Bench to overturn a five-year ban, preventing him from running for public office because he did not file all of his required financial paperwork on time.
Elections Alberta notified Mandel that his financial return was late following his nomination as the Alberta Party candidate for Edmonton-McClung after the required deadline. Mandel’s status as leader of the Alberta Party remains unchanged.
“First and foremost, we respect the decision of Elections Alberta, and getting financial paperwork in on time is important,” said Mr. Mandel. “The penalties for late filing are serious, and I and some of our candidates are currently facing a five-year suspension from being able to run for public office. While this is concerning, we also believe there is confusion about the actual due dates this paperwork is due to Elections Alberta. Because the penalties for late filing are so serious, we have also applied to the Court of Queen’s Bench to review and rule on this matter as soon as possible.”
This is the first test of new legislation on candidate requirements, and all political parties are affected by this change.
“Based on our interpretation of a July 2018 letter we received from Elections Alberta, we believe we have filed within the required deadline,” said Mandel. “We hope our efforts will clarify the rules, which will benefit all candidates – as well as the democratic process. We don’t want to see good candidates discouraged from running because they aren’t sure about the rules.”
The Alberta Party is committed to Alberta, and to the values of prosperity, fiscal and social responsibility, environmental sustainability, accountable government and strong communities.