Alberta will soon have citizenship markers on its driver’s licences and other identification cards, but some experts are concerned this could lead to discrimination for non-citizens.
Earlier this week, the western province announced the change, which is coming next fall.
“Alberta will be the first province to add a Canadian citizenship marker to driver’s licences and ID cards, strengthening Alberta’s election system and protecting the integrity of our democratic process by ensuring that only eligible citizens cast ballots,” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith posted on X.
“This change will also give Canadian citizens in Alberta a single, secure card to access programs and services more conveniently,” Smith continued.
Only Canadian citizenship will be listed on the cards, and the ID of non-citizens will not feature any marker.
At one point, several provinces, including Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and B.C., all offered what were called “enhanced driver’s licenses,” which included citizenship. These identification cards, no longer available, were intended to make it easier for Canadians to cross the border into the United States.
In a statement to Now Toronto, Brandon Aboultaif, Press Secretary to Dale Nally, Alberta’s Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, said that the move is modernizing how Albertans access essential programs and services, as well as cutting red tape, and putting convenience first.
“Albertans will no longer need to juggle multiple cards for health care, citizenship, and for driving,” Aboutltaif said.
“A Personal Health Number will also be seamlessly integrated onto your driver’s licence, uniting proof of citizenship, driving privileges, and health care access into a single card. This isn’t just about saving space in your wallet—it’s about saving time, and empowering you to navigate daily life with ease,” he continued, adding that having or not having the citizenship marker will not result in discrimination or preferential treatment.
EXPERTS CONCERNED ABOUT POTENTIAL FOR DISCRIMINATION
While Aboultaif says that the identification markers will not end up causing any discrimination or preferential treatment, Dr. Usha George, a social work professor at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), is not so sure.
She says that while citizenship is a clearly defined category, a non-citizen is not.
“There are people who are on a permanent resident visa, who may not transition to citizenship. There are people who are temporary foreign workers. They also have the legal right to be in Canada. So, where will you put them? Or then there are people who have work permits of different kinds, temporary work permits, all kinds of things.
“So, when you say citizen, it’s a clean category. But the ‘non-citizens’ are many categories according to our immigration plan, and they are all legal,” George explained on Wednesday.
“So, you can’t say that we are trying to catch illegal immigrants or illegal people. You know, everybody came here on a particular kind of visa, except, of course, asylum seekers, but they are covered by human rights law.”
George says that this marker will only add fuel to the fire of discrimination already faced by many people of colour, citizens or not.
“Stereotyping, name-calling, all of those kinds of things that we see out in the public, in many ways, we kind of then legitimize some of the aggressive behaviour towards immigrants.
Dr. Emily Wills, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa’s School of Political Studies, explained that her main concern is that introducing these citizenship markers could create an environment where not having that marker could become suspicious to officials accessing that ID.
“So, you are pulled over, you have a legal driver’s license, but it does not say you are a citizen. Does that end up with the police officer you’re interacting with holding you to a higher standard of suspicion?” Wills told Now Toronto.
“The issue in those circumstances is that everything is down to the discretion of the person you’re interacting with.”
This extends to other people accessing your ID, like workers at the post office.
“If they were already going to have a form of suspicion towards me or a predisposition towards it, the marker of being a non-citizen is going to potentially increase that.”
U.S. CONNECTION
Wills says that the introduction of this new identification is coming at a time when having higher security identification cards is becoming more popular in the United States. While these are advertised by governments as being beneficial for people, Wills says people aren’t asking for this.
“This is meeting a need the state experiences, and they’re trying to sell it as good for people, because people don’t think about this. This isn’t actually solving a human problem. It’s solving a government problem,” Wills said.
“Apart from some very specific uses, people don’t need this. If you need to prove your citizenship, you get documents that prove your citizenship. If you need to prove that you can drive, you have a driver’s license, right?” she explained.
“I think what people generally want out of their governments is to do things that make people’s lives easier, not things that make government control easier. And this suggestion strikes me as solving a problem people don’t have, while potentially creating a problem for people,” Wills continued, adding that while she understands wanting to produce extra secure documentation, the risks in this situation outweigh the rewards.
Wills compared the new Alberta identification cards to similar identifications stateside, known as REAL ID.
“When I think about people getting enhanced driver’s licenses/REAL IDs in the U.S., they all just think it’s annoying and a new barrier.”
She says that when it comes to Smith’s claim that this will make elections more secure, she questions whether that is even an issue.
“Generally, when we do studies in all sorts of contexts of who votes, we do generally find that people who have the right to vote are who votes, generally, as opposed to additional people jumping the queue there,” she explained, adding that in most cases when someone who wasn’t supposed to vote can, it’s due to confusion.
PRIVACY CONCERNS
In addition to causing potential discrimination and being unrequested, Wills says this new form of identification also poses privacy concerns.
“This creates a situation where one of the pieces of information at any interaction with anybody who requests an ID is whether or not you’re a citizen,” she explained.
She explained that this would also introduce the topic of citizenship in conversations where it would otherwise be irrelevant.
“Whether or not someone is a permanent resident, a citizen, a temporary migrant, or still on the route to gaining permanent status, generally, Canadians are pretty chill about that in most situations. Which means all of a sudden, introducing that dynamic into a conversation can be weird,” Wills said. “I think it would make people’s citizenship status relevant.”
Additionally, the identifications would not list what category of “non-citizen” people fall into, which, logistically, is unhelpful when it comes to helping people access services.
“Permanent residents are entitled to most of the benefits that citizens are, which means you haven’t even adequately distinguished between the relevant parties. So, you’re going to end up with additional headaches,” she explained.
REACTIONS POUR IN ONLINE
Online, many people are sharing their thoughts about the upcoming change. Some are concerned about the potential for discrimination this will cause.
“Wow. Might as well be the mark of the beast. What is the point of this? You’re going to discriminate against legally landed immigrants. You are so paranoid it’s unbelievable.
“So the Canadian flag on the back of the already existing licences isn’t good enough? Or the Canadian address? Or the two little Canadian leaves beside the picture of a Canadian province? Or the Alberta.”CA” address? What a f**king utter waste of time and whatever money this gonna cost…”
While others are in support of the idea.
“This is pure common sense to ensure we have integrity in our elections. When will you be running for Prime Minister?” one person said on X.
“Wonderful news, hope B.C. does this as well,” added another X user.
