What is BanTheBan?

BanTheBan.ca started in response to Alberta’s early “book ban” push—fueled by pressure from groups like Action4Canada—and has since grown into a hub tracking a wider pattern of authoritarian, discriminatory policy and Charter-rights violations. Our mission is simple: defend everyone’s rights and flip the script by banning bad policy—wherever it comes from.

What we track (and fight)

  • School book restrictions (Ministerial Order 034/2025)

  • Fairness and Safety in Sport Act and its exclusionary impacts

  • AISH/CDB clawbacks and affordability shortfalls

  • New Alberta ID scheme (health numbers + “CAN” marker on IDs) that heightens privacy risks and enables discrimination

What we do

  • Explain what each policy does, who it harms (students, athletes, disabled and other vulnerable Albertans), and why it’s dangerous.

  • Equip you with clear, fast actions: petitions, scripts, and step-by-step guides to pressure MLAs, boards, and institutions.

  • Organize communities to raise visibility and build sustained, effective pushback.

Official petitions and easy actions will be posted here shortly. Join us—and help #BanTheBan.

CLICK OR TAP the images below to read further.

A protest sign with a black and white illustration of a hand stamping a book, with a red stamp marked "BANNED." The sign has a red header with white text that reads "THE BOOK BAN" and smaller white text below that says "Ministerial Order #030/2025."

Ministerial Order #030/2025 was Alberta’s attempt to restrict access to school library books under the guise of “standards.” In reality, it amounts to state-led censorship—forcing mass audits, chilling educators, and narrowing the voices students can access.

Sign promoting Alberta's new ID scheme with a red banner, a black and white illustration of an ID card being stamped, and the word "Discriminatory" stamped across the ID card.

A “single, secure ID” shouldn’t brand people by status. Printing “CAN” on licences creates a two-tier flash test—fueling bias at doors, desks, and counters while shifting costs to the public. This is highly discriminatory and must be stopped.

Sign with red top section reading 'Fairness and Safety in Sports Act', black bold text 'Discrimination', and silhouettes of two athletes and a young girl, with a red crossed circle over the girl.

Framed as protecting fairness, this act targets transgender and marginalized athletes, embedding discrimination into Alberta’s sports system. Instead of inclusion, it weaponizes policy to exclude, stigmatize, and erase.

A sign referencing 'Aish Clawbacks' that warns not to pass or collect money, with a cartoon illustration of a distressed man and a hand taking a $500 bill, indicating a fine or penalty for misuse.

Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) is meant to support vulnerable Albertans, yet clawback policies strip away financial security. The province takes from those who can least afford it, treating survival as a game of chance rather than a right.

Silhouette of a person protesting with a megaphone, leading protesters holding blank signs, with text "Local and Provincial Protests Let's Go!" on a red background.

Across Alberta, people are standing up—at the Legislature, at city rallies, and in their communities. These protests reflect a growing refusal to accept authoritarian overreach, giving power back to ordinary citizens who demand accountability and justice.