Alberta to announce changes coming to driver’s licence and identification cards.

Today Premier Smith joined by Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, Dale Nally, to announce changes coming to driver's licence and identification cards.

Good morning, everyone. Today, we're taking an important step forward in how Albertans can prove their identity and Canadian citizenship. This change will make life easier and more secure for all Albertans. Alberta is a province built on opportunity, trust, and the promise that every citizen can access the services and support they need to thrive.

Starting in late 2026, Alberta will be the first province to implement the addition of Canadian citizenship markers to our driver's licenses and identification cards. This simple addition will have a profound impact on how Albertans interact with their government and their communities. We're doing this because we believe in making things better, faster, and more convenient for everyone.

By including citizenship information on these cards, we're streamlining access to vital services. Whether it's applying for student aid, accessing health benefits, or supporting those with disabilities, no longer will Albertans need to carry multiple documents or face unnecessary hurdles. This change means that when Albertans need to prove both their identity and their citizenship, they'll be able to do so with a single document.

It's about reducing red tape, cutting down on paperwork, and making sure that government works for you, not the other way around. Programs like Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, Alberta Student Aid, and the Persons with Developmental Disability Program all require proof of citizenship. With this new marker, accessing these supports will be simpler and more secure.

Adding a Canadian citizenship marker is also about protecting our democracy. Election security is a vital concern in Canada. By adding citizenship information to Alberta's driver's licenses and ID cards, we're taking a proactive step toward ensuring that only eligible citizens cast ballots in our elections. This helps safeguard the integrity of our electoral process and strengthens trust in our democracy.

I also want to be clear that non-citizens, such as permanent residents, who still qualify for Alberta driver's licenses, will not have any marker displayed. Lastly, as we announced several weeks ago, we will also be integrating Alberta healthcare numbers onto driver's licenses, also in late 2026. This will provide additional security around healthcare numbers, as we've learned through our review of the healthcare system that there are more than half a million healthcare numbers registered than there are people living in Alberta.

Based on second-quarter 2025 population estimates, there are 530,438 more healthcare numbers registered than there are people living in Alberta. I'd like to thank Minister Dale Nally and his department, Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, for the hard work in laying the groundwork for this change.

Now, I'd like to introduce our guest, Ricky McBride, CEO of Alberta Registry Agents, who will speak in more detail about these changes. As you've noticed, we want Alberta driver's licenses and identification cards to be a safe and convenient means of accessing provincial programs and services.

The citizenship marker will be added during regular renewals or new applications starting in late 2026, when the changes come into effect. Canadian citizens renewing their Alberta driver's license or getting a new one will have the citizenship marker included in their cards if the legal entitlement documentation produced verifies their Canadian citizenship.

We're always looking for ways to make life simpler for all Albertans, and this is another step in that direction. Right now, people often have to dig up extra paperwork just to prove who they are and that they are Canadian. By adding citizenship information directly onto Albertans' driver's licenses and ID cards, we can cut through that red tape.

Whether you're applying for student aid, signing up for health benefits, or accessing supports for people with disabilities, you'll be able to do it all with one secure piece of identification. It's about removing barriers, speeding things up, and delivering the kind of modern, commonsense service Albertans expect from their government.

The timing for this is perfect because we're going to add this marker and healthcare number information at the same time we do a complete redesign of the driver's licenses and ID cards. There's going to be more to come on that, but these changes will prove the security, convenience, and functionality of Alberta driver's licenses.

Furthermore, we're committed to ensuring this change benefits everyone without creating financial barriers. Importantly, this update comes at no additional cost to Albertans. The government will cover all expenses for system upgrades, so you won't pay extra to have your citizenship added to your card.

We're also committed to protecting your privacy. The citizenship marker will follow international standards and will be displayed as a simple "C" or "AM" code on your card, clear, concise, and respectful of your personal information. This is a practical, forward-looking change that reflects our commitment to better, faster, and more secure services for Albertans.

Overall, this is good news for Albertans, and I look forward to working with my team and government officials to implement this change. Thank you.

Now, we'll move on to the media Q&A portion of the announcement. For the media here in the room and on the line, we'll be taking one question with a follow-up. Please state your name and outlet when asking a question.

The first question comes from Global News. "Regarding harm reduction and supplies like needles and bubble pipes, we're hearing that they're no longer going to be supplied to outreach agencies that work with Calgarians suffering from addictions. Can you speak to whether harm reduction tools like this are still available, and what's the plan to shut down the safe consumption site in Calgary?"

We are moving towards shutting down the safe consumption site, especially when we have municipalities that have expressed a clear interest in doing so. We're in the process of doing that in Red Deer, and we also have other supports available. We have therapeutic living units within the corrections facility, and we have a recovery community that's been in operation for close to two years.

We believe that we have to transition to provide support in a different way. The plan involves having mobile paramedic teams and mobile nursing teams to provide things like naloxone in the event of an overdose. We're committed to getting people into recovery so that they don't need those types of services.

We have 11 recovery communities that we're opening up, with four already in operation, and we have four therapeutic living units in the correctional facilities, which are demonstrating success. We'll keep doing that, but we should all want to get our loved ones off drugs altogether so that they can get back on with repairing their lives.

The next question comes from the Calgary Herald. "You mentioned that we have about half a million more health card numbers than we do people living in Alberta. Who do those numbers belong to, and what's going to happen to those numbers once the health card numbers get added to the driver's license?"

We're not entirely sure who those numbers belong to, and that's part of the problem. We don't think there's been very good record-keeping by Alberta Health Services in this regard. As part of the reason why we're taking more of these roles back into government, we can get a better line of sight on these things.

One of the integrated approaches is that my ministers have had is to try to get to the bottom of this issue. We don't know if it's people who have passed away and their numbers haven't been canceled, or people who have moved to another jurisdiction and didn't register with their new jurisdiction, or people who have left the country but maintain their Alberta health card so they can come back for treatment.

We don't know, and that's why we're doing this initiative. We had to start with trying to fit which are trying to get the day in order so that we could get to the bottom of it. I don't have a minister who can respond to that, but I think you nailed it. This is the very reason why we have to do this initiative, because of the way AHS was doing it previously, just lacked the security and controls.

The next question comes from Canadian Press. "Jason Kenney has spoken out about the possibility of a sovereignty referendum, suggesting that if such a vote was allowed, it would destroy families and tear apart communities, and that he'd be willing to take on a public role to combat it if it does happen. What's your response to that?"

I believe in Alberta sovereignty within a united Canada. I am working with the federal government to try to address what I think are legitimate grievances that have Albertans feeling frustrated. I'm hopeful that we'll be able to have a joint announcement soon, and that will take the temperature down on this issue.

The current referendum initiative is being done under the old rules, which require 29,000 signatures within 90 days. I think it's worth noting that the change I've made has not facilitated this particular referendum question, as it's being operated under the old rules.

The next question comes from the Calgary Herald. "You had mentioned that we have about half a million more health card numbers than we do people living in Alberta. Who do those numbers belong to, and what's going to happen to those numbers once the health card numbers get added to the driver's license?"

We're not entirely sure who those numbers belong to, and that's part of the problem. We don't think there's been very good record-keeping by Alberta Health Services in this regard. As part of the reason why we're taking more of these roles back into government, we can get a better line of sight on these things.

One of the integrated approaches is that my ministers have had is to try to get to the bottom of this issue. We don't know if it's people who have passed away and their numbers haven't been canceled, or people who have moved to another jurisdiction and didn't register with their new jurisdiction, or people who have left the country but maintain their Alberta health card so they can come back for treatment.

We don't know, and that's why we're doing this initiative. We had to start with trying to fit which are trying to get the day in order so that we could get to the bottom of it. I don't have a minister who can respond to that, but I think you nailed it. This is the very reason why we have to do this initiative, because of the way AHS was doing it previously, just lacked the security and controls.

The next question comes from CBC. "Does this mean that people who are going to renew their driver's licenses will have to show proof of their citizenship, because you say that this is going to reduce the need to show proof of citizenship for other things? It seems like if that's the case, you're doing is front-loading the hassle of showing your citizenship."

I would push back and say that you'll be showing your proof of citizenship one more time, and then after that, it's going to be on your driver's license. We've heard from Albertans loud and clear that they want less identification cards in their wallet, not more. This is just giving Albertans what they want. It's going to make their life simpler, make their life better, because they're not going to have to be fumbling to find a versatile piece of ID every time they go to apply for benefits.

The next question comes from Canadian Press. "The former premier, Ralph Klein, once said that he would blank, and there's a precedent for answering this question. How determined are you to maintain the position that the government has, and if you are wanting to maintain that position, why is that important for you to maintain that position, and not give in to the counter-position?"

We want to make sure that we have a fair offer for teachers, and we believe we do. It's a 3% pay raise per year over four years, which is 12% in addition to the market adjustments. We believe this is a generous offer, and we're committed to making sure that parents and frontline teachers know that this is a fair offer. We want to make sure that everybody has the same information, and we'll make sure that we have a joint announcement soon.

The next question comes from CBC. "You said that non-citizens, such as permanent residents, won't have a marker on their cards. Does that also apply to permanent residents?"

Yes, that's right. Non-citizens, such as permanent residents, won't have a marker on their cards.

The next question comes from Radio Canada. "I was wondering if we could expect a digital version of the driver's license, similar to the mobile health card, in the future."

We're not doing that just yet, but that's not to say that something couldn't happen in the future. At this time, we're not planning to offer a digital version of the driver's license.

That concludes today's press conference. Thank you, everyone, for joining us.