The NDP candidate for Spruce Grove-St. Albert is hoping for some intervention after her request to have the name of her office printed with her name on the April 23 ballot was denied by Elections Alberta.
Rev. J.J. Trudeau had asked to have “Rev.” printed along with her name and party affiliation on the official ballot for the provincial election. Both the local chief returning officer and the chief electoral officer for the province denied her request.
Trudeau is a member of the Lutheran clergy at Holy Name Lutheran Parish. She argues her designation as reverend is more about the office she holds instead of being a simple title.
“In the liturgical tradition, it's an office of ordination so it is not a title,” Trudeau said. “Maybe it's just an issue of semantics.”
Regardless of the distinction, the Alberta Election Act specifically states in section 83.3(d) that “no titles, degrees, prefixes or suffixes may be included with a name.”
Spruce Grove-St. Albert chief returning officer Christine Hackett said the rules are quite clear.
“In the act it states there you cannot use a title. ‘Reverend' is considered a title,” Hackett said.
Trudeau said she even took her case to Chief Electoral Officer Brian Fjeldheim, who also turned down her request.
“It's not a title. It's a symbol of my priesthood, it's a symbol that I am clergy. I think those rules need to be examined,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau even suggested having her office printed as a nickname, which section 83.3 (a) (iii) allows, as she says some of her parishioners and friends call her the “The Rev,” but that too was declined. Section 83.3.2 of the act states that the Chief Electoral Officer can disallow the use of any nickname if it is deemed either inappropriate or the candidate is not generally known by that nickname.
“I think it's a narrow interpretation of the rule and I think it doesn't cover the clergy,” Trudeau said.
Hackett said the intent of the rule is to ensure that the ballot is printed in a manner that is fair to all candidates. Besides nicknames, the ballots may only contain given name, middle name or initials, and surname, as well as the party represented. Only one middle name is permitted.
“I think it's to create a level playing field,” Hackett said. “So that when you go in, voters are not influenced by titles like doctor or reverend. I think that was the intent behind the act. I don't think it's a reflection of who she is; it's just to create a level playing field that they don't allow that.”
But Trudeau isn't convinced, believing the province is infringing on her rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“It's a charter situation and the charter says the provinces cannot opt out in the case of basic freedoms,” Trudeau said. “I believe my fundamental freedoms are being violated.”
