EDMONTON -- Alberta is moving to follow Saskatchewan’s lead in preventing convicted sex offenders from legally changing their name.
Service Alberta Minister Nate Glubish tabled legislation Wednesday that would require adult name change applicants to also submit either a criminal record check or police information check.
Any applicant with a conviction of sexual exploitation, child pornography, luring, sexual assault, trafficking or other crimes outlined in S. 490.011 of the Criminal Code will not be allowed to change their name.
That sex offenders previously had this loophole is appalling, Glubish said.
“Survivors of sexual violence have no choice but to live with the trauma they’ve experienced for the rest of their lives. So it seems common sense to me that their offenders should have to live with the names they were convicted under for the rest of their lives, too.”
Alberta’s eastern neighbor introduced similar legislation earlier in the year.
Glubish said he was sending a letter co-signed by Saskatchewan government officials to the other provinces calling on them to do the same thing, which would prevent offenders from moving to a different jurisdiction and changing their name there.
The chief executive officer of the Zebra Child Protection Centre – which counted 62 per cent of its 2019 cases as sexual abuse cases – said the agency supports the Vital Statistics Act amendments proposed in Bill 28.
“I will add my voice to that call of action. I think as adults, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to protect our children and move forward and take this important step,” commented Cheryl Diebel.
The government said about 4,000 Albertans legally change their name very year and those without sex offences would not be affected if the bill is passed.
Officials added there was no data or system to track the number of name change applicants who have a sex offence conviction.
