Alberta Premier Slams Edmonton Police Hate-Incident Reporting, Citing Free-Speech Concerns

Collin May, a Calgary lawyer and former chief of the Alberta Human Rights Commission, reported that Edmonton Police Service drew sharp rebuke from Premier Danielle Smith after the agency broadened its hate-crime reporting portal in June 2023 to cover "hate incidents" such as offensive jokes. Smith wrote on X that free speech is a foundational Alberta value and cautioned that policing unpopular or religious-based statements leads down a slippery slope seen in other countries.

Senator Kris Wells defended the police, insisting that hate speech is never protected and should face the highest consequences. May argued that conflating hate incidents with hate crimes erodes free speech, citing a 2025 UK case where comedian Graham Linehan was arrested for trans-related satire and later received a settlement. He warned that including jokes in police reports places EPS on uncertain legal ground and urged the Human Rights Commission to remind authorities that hate speech should only be criminal when it incites violence.