Take Back Alberta Hit With $120,000 in Charges For Concealing Financial Details

The far-right group Take Back Alberta has taken yet another hit with a large number of fines issued over the embattled far-right organization’s financial reporting.

This week Elections Alberta levied over $100,000 in fines against the group and its leaders for failing to report their donation records.

Elections Alberta

The exact sources of TBA’s finances are still undisclosed but a number of items stick out, for example a $13,500 fine was levied for unreported foreign donations. Specifically, the penalty was for “acceptance of contributions from outside of Alberta and Canada.” 

Elections Alberta does not disclose the details of its investigations.

Among other charges were multiple penalties for “knowingly made false statements,” amounting to four in total. Two of these charges were against group founder and leader David Parker himself. 

The other two were against the organization’s Chief Financial Officers, Jonathan Heidebrecht and Marco Van Huigenbos.

Another charge against Parker included “knowingly made contributions that exceeded the $30,000 aggregate limit.”

$30,000 is the maximum amount a single entity can contribute to a third party political advertiser in Alberta.

In total, $120,000 in fines were issued to TBA and Parker by Alberta’s election watchdog on charges stemming from a years-long investigation into the group’s funding. 

TBA reported zero donations and zero expenditures as a registered election advertiser, despite frequent fundraising appeals to supporters. Parker has also denied any election advertising.

TBA’s future as a once-influential political organizing force is in doubt, but the question of who funded them in their mission to remove former Premier Jason Kenney and bring in the current right wing Premier Danielle Smith remains a mystery.

Take Back Alberta did not respond to requests for comment. When reached by PressProgress this week, Parker immediately hung up the phone. 

Parker has stated that he plans to fight Elections Alberta’s ruling. On X, the app formerly known as Twitter, Parker reacted to news about his $120,000 in election law violations by stating that he thinks he looks “pretty cool.”

Honestly, I look pretty cool here. https://t.co/Vz275VoHRy

— David Parker (@DavidJPba) February 5, 2025

Near the centre of the Elections Alberta investigation was former CFO Marco Van Huigenbos. Van Huigenbos previously told PressProgress that he cooperated with the election watchdog, stating: “I think there’s things coming down the line that are going to have consequences for them. Elections Alberta is on the trail.”

Van Huigenbos was recently sentenced to four months prison time for unrelated charges over his involvement as a leading figure in the Coutts border blockade during the 2022 Freedom Convoy and could not be reached for comment on the latest charges.

The pressure to disclose TBA’s finances was part of a bitter falling out between the two leaders. 

Van Huigenbos cooperated, but Parker steadfastly refused, telling PressProgress “I wouldn’t want to be naming those donors if I was Elections Alberta.” Adding, “it’s a dangerous game messing with the powerful.”

Under Alberta election laws, donor names only need to be disclosed if the donation exceeds $250. 

Despite once being close to power and a “personal friend” of the Premier, Parker’s troubles deepened after he picked a fight online with Pierre Poilievre’s advisor Jenni Byrne, suggesting an inappropriate relationship.

This led at least in part to Smith cutting ties with Parker and his organization. 

Parker, who previously called the election watchdog “corrupt”, stated he intends to keep fighting the investigation and the fines. 

Elections Alberta, whose investigation is ongoing, declined to comment on when and if the donors will be disclosed.