Alberta premier posts video on her governments stance on free speech

Debate has been swirling in Alberta over what constitutes hate speech, and what should be considered free speech. It began with the Edmonton Police Service mounting an ad campaign asking residents to report instances of hate. “If you see hate, report hate” it said in an Instagram post, also noting that, “Not all hate looks the same, but all hate causes harm.” The campaign faced immediate backlash from several quarters, including the Alberta government. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in a video posted online Wednesday that ‘free speech is a foundational Alberta value. We don’t believe in policing unpopular or religious-based statements even if they are controversial.” She noted other countries like the U.K. have gone down the road to policing commentary online but she said, “That’s a slippery slope” and Alberta “can’t go down that road.” Free Speech is a foundational Alberta value. We don’t believe in policing unpopular or religious-based statements even if they are controversial. That’s a slippery slope other countries have fallen into and we can’t go down that road. Our Minister of Public Safety and Emergency… https://t.co/C6ZmgCUZnR — Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) August 4, 2026 “Our Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, will be writing to our provincial and municipal policing providers to ensure they understand Albertans’ policing priorities should focus on violent crimes, illegal drugs, theft and vandalism…not people’s free speech,” Smith said in the post on X. “There are areas of criminal law where you legitimately cannot say things that subject another group to hatred or violence. That’s a very high bar, and it should be a high bar. But hurt feelings laws? You can’t police them,” Smith went on to say. APTN has not seen the letter sent to police. APTN had earlier requested comment from Smith’s office regarding a banner hung on a fence Aug. 1 near Spruce Grove west of Edmonton that said “Indians” hadn’t done anything for the last 100 years, but were now trying to tell Alberta what to do. It caused an uproar amongst First Nations people who saw it in person and in a photo posted broadly online, with many saying it promoted hate. Instead, a statement was sent by Braedyn Funke, the press secretary to the Associate Minister of Multiculturalism Muhammad Yaseen. “Alberta’s government stands firmly against racism and continues working to build a province where everyone is respected—no matter their cultural background or where they come from. Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected in their communities and our government is committed to building a province where people, regardless of their race or ethnicity, can live, work and worship without fear of harassment or intimidation,” the statement said. The town of Spruce Grove declined to provide a comment to APTN, instead referring us to Parkland County. The banner was not placed in that county but in neighbouring Sturgeon County. Still, public response to the banner prompted Parkland County to denounce it. “We are aware of a banner displayed on private property near Parkland County, along Highway 779, containing racist and disparaging language directed toward Indigenous peoples,” said a statement emailed to APTN. “Many people have found the message hurtful, discriminatory, and contrary to the spirit of respect that we expect in our community. Parkland County strongly condemns racism and discrimination in all forms…While individuals have the right to express their views within the law, messages that demean or stereotype entire groups do not reflect the values of respect, civility, and inclusion that guide our municipality and that most Canadians and Albertans expect and uphold,” Mayor Rod Shaigec said in the statement. The banner has since been torn down by a concerned member of the Paul band. A Calgary-based anti-racism group-StopHateAB said the banner is a sign of the racism that’s been ramping up in the months ahead of Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum on separation. “Hateful rhetoric is being encouraged through these despicable public displays and the consequence of political disagreement through this referendum has trickled in to the promotion and emboldened actions promoting racism and discrimination across Alberta,” the group’s executive director Nina Saini said. Continue Reading