Arlene Dickinson BLASTS Danielle Smith For Aligning With Alberta Separatists | Elections Data Breach

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]Plenty to discuss in regards to Alberta from a potential referendum to a major data breach, but what is at stake for Canadians across the country? For that, we have invited Arlene Dickinson to the studio. Not only is she is she an entrepreneur entrepreneur and venture capitalist, she's also was an an Albertan for decades. Arlene, good to see you here and thank you for taking the time. Okay, I want to begin with a statement we just received from Elections Alberta. I'm just going to read it and we're going to put it on the screen. Last night, CEO Gordon McCloud issued cease and desist letters to 23 people that Centurion, this is a separatist group, identified as individuals they provided the list of electors to and 545 individuals that Centurion identified as having accessed the list. The 23 people who were provided the list are required to provide a signed declaration they have complied with the direction. He added they have 48 hours to comply. So, this is about almost 600 people, you know, that have had access to the list of 2.9 million Albertans. That's basically all adults in Alberta, more or less, right? Arlene, personal information, their addresses, their names, where they live.

[00:01:19]Uh, you know, we've heard Jason Kenney, the former premier, raising real concerns about that. What what what's your reaction to that? I mean it it unfortunately it validates the fact that this has been a real breach of privacy and of people's confidential information. And as you've just said, whether it's ex-premiers, whether it's judges, whether it's lawyers, whether it's, you know, domestic abuse victims.

[00:01:42]I mean there are so many people that are impacted by their information being put out there publicly like this. And I think we have an expectation of government to ensure that our privacy is protected at all costs. I mean this is a trust issue, it's a trust issue of government, and it's clear that, you know, it's been breached. I mean, that those numbers are astounding that that many people have had access to this database. It's It's unacceptable. How serious do you think this is? I think it's very serious, because as I said, you know, when you when you give your information and you vote and you have your, you know, privacy invaded like that, I mean, you have an expectation, we should all have an expectation that government will protect us and that we will have privacy when we go to vote.

[00:02:22]This is fundamental to democracy. And so, I think it's um I I I not only think it's like awful that it's happened, if a private company had done this, they would have, you know, they would have been much more repercussions than there has been yet, you know, to date at least with what's happened here. There has not been the accountability that we need from government but why it happened, how it happened, and how it's not going to happen again.

[00:02:46]And this and and for a separatist group to have uh access to this information, I mean, how does that play into a potential referendum on Alberta, Albertans being asked whether or not they want to separate from Canada? Well, exactly, right. At the time, I mean, it's too coincidental for it not to be anything but purposeful. And so, you know, like, listen, we're about to go into a referendum in Alberta.

[00:03:11]2.9 million voter information is out there to people who have a very specific reason to try and separate Alberta from Canada. Backed by who knows with what financial resources, who knows, but for everything I'm reading from the story that CBC broke around, you know, the numbers of people that were um in other countries, American actors who were talking about separatism that have nothing to do with Alberta. They can't even pronounce Alberta. And yet, they're out there talking about these things.

[00:03:39]So, I think it's um incredibly serious and and I don't know how they can undo the trust that they've broken. I mean, you're right. We've we've we've done some reporting on these these foreign actors uh being paid to do this.

[00:03:52]Uh slopaganda it's referred to. That's a whole other. Uh, we have reports suggesting Russia and the US have been amplifying separatist narratives.

[00:04:00]However, we should mention Alberta Minister Mike Ellis weighed in stating the RCMP has reported no credible information to suggest foreign interference. What do you make of that?

[00:04:09]I mean, I I I frankly find that incredibly difficult to believe. Mhm. You know, anybody who traces any of the you know, as your story demonstrated, you can trace these back to other actors outside of the province that aren't part of any policy, you know, any any political party in Alberta. So, um, I I find that very difficult to believe that they that there's no foreign interference in this.

[00:04:31]That's just my own opinion, but I I can't believe it. Scott Bassent, a top adminis- Trump administration official, weighed in. There's clips of it. That he's weighed in publicly kind of saying, "Oh, that's interesting. The idea of Albertans maybe wanting to leave Canada." Do you have any doubt that the Trump administration may want to play a role in this in this referendum on the side of separatists? No, I have no doubt that they would want to. I mean, listen, this started with the whole 51st, you know, state uh, rhetoric that came out of Trump. It started very, you know, over a year ago where he wanted to have us join, you know, their their nation.

[00:05:06]It's not going to happen. But, no, I think he's absolutely all over this. And I the reason I posted what I I did a post on this, Andrew, because you started to see a pattern of all the things that were happening out there.

[00:05:17]You could, you know, on one thing on its own is fine, um, but when you get Yeah, you're you're putting it >> So, yeah, sorry. You know what? What I got a little side The reason why we wanted No, no, the reason why we wanted to talk to you is about your post, uh, but we got distracted by the news.

[00:05:34]So, here we are. So, let's talk now about these posts and and what they are.

[00:05:38]Just tell our viewers what we're looking at. Okay, so, what I, you know, what I started to see, I was noticing you know, all the things that in isolation could maybe be explained in isolation, but then I started to see that it was a pattern happening. And I'm a business person, I look for patterns. When there's a pattern, you think that there's something really going on, so you investigate. So, I started to do some research, and I started to see all of these things adding up. And to me, you know, what hadn't happened today that I hadn't seen at least was somebody putting them in order and itemizing the things that have happened over the course of the past, you know, year. Mhm.

[00:06:11]And it was so obvious to me once I started to put them together that there is a pattern here that is very troubling, that is very evident that there are people trying hard to create a narrative for separatism, a method for separatism, whether it's, you know, defunding um Elections Alberta and taking away their ability to investigate, whether it's the breach of the election roll, whether it's um their employees, you know, some of their staff going of the UCP staff going to attend where this thing is actually being demonstrated, and then that not being reported to the Premier's office.

[00:06:45]It's just There's just too many things that were happening all together, and so I posted about it, and I think the post has resonated by virtue of the fact that it's being shared so much because people are agreeing with it, not because they're saying it's not right, but they're going, "Oh, yeah, that all does make sense." Mhm. And so, I mean, what are your concerns about this about this referendum that could come in October?

[00:07:07]We'll see. There's also First Nations that are challenging it in the courts, so we'll see what happens. But do you believe there will be a referendum in October on Alberta Albertans being asked whether or not they want to stay in Canada? And what does this situation that we're in now, this story keeps developing day after day after day, uh how does that influence uh the campaign?

[00:07:31]Well, I don't know how there can be a referendum until every single name on that list of people who have signed um asking for that referendum to happen are actually verified. Um and that's going to take quite a while. Um in addition to that, I think the questions that are in the referendum as as they're being suggested by Premier Smith are very difficult for anyone to really understand what they're getting at. And she's admitted herself that five of those nine questions they have no ability to be executed on.

[00:07:57]So, it's a very it's to me very duplicitous. The questions are very troublesome and they are trying to aim towards separatism. And I do not see the purpose of separatism. I've lived in Alberta, as you said, for 66 years. I love that province so much. I owe everything to that province in terms of my business life and in terms of my family. I had my kids there. I I do not think that this is something Albertans truly want. We've seen the Premier say recently that she wants Alberta to remain in Canada. We hadn't heard her say that quite like that until recently.

[00:08:30]Do you think that there are a lot of separatists in the United Conservative Party government right now?

[00:08:37]And should they be a little more frank and open with Albertans about whether or not they are separatists or not? I think I think Premier Smith should really consider why she allowed the things to happen in her party and why she was silent when her party members voted for the separatist movement, voted to have these things happen, were present in these rooms, why she allowed those things to happen and stay silent. I find it again difficult to believe that she is not trying to push a separatist agenda. And if she isn't, then she's doing a really poor job of governing and showing people what she really cares about.

[00:09:13]Arlene, thank you. Arlene Dickinson, a venture capitalist, joining us here in studio. Appreciate your time. Pleasure.