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The dating app and website query were not part of the candidate vetting process of the UCP’s legacy parties, the Progressive Conservatives and Wildrose.

Harrington said she is not aware whether other Canadian political parties ask for similar information from their prospective candidates.

The federal Conservatives, Liberals and NDP do not ask potential nominees about dating sites.

Roari Richardson, provincial secretary for the Alberta NDP, said the party doesn’t seek dating site information from candidates.

“That never occurred to me, to be honest,” said Richardson, who declined to offer an opinion on the UCP’s question.

“I don’t know what I think of that.”

Richardson said the NDP, beyond asking potential candidates about their specific social media habits, does ask a general question of hopefuls about whether they have engaged in online behaviour “that could be embarrassing to them or the NDP.”

One former UCP MLA believes that the question over dating apps and websites is overly obtrusive into an individual’s private life and could have significant consequences.

Strathmore-Brooks MLA Derek Fildebrandt, who sits as an independent after being barred from running for the UCP, said the question could lead to closeted LGBTQ individuals having to reveal their sexual orientation by disclosing whether they utilize services aimed at gay individuals, such as Grindr.

“If someone wants to be a candidate for the United Conservative Party and is not ready to come out as gay, then that seriously jeopardizes their privacy,” he said.