Yes, mayors, councillors and members of Parliament are allowed to publicly take sides and advocate for them in the upcoming referendum. They can use their public profile to amplify one side or another in the campaign. They are bound by the same rules as any other citizen. If they begin spending money on their campaign and surpass $1,000, they must register as third-party advertisers.

Provincial parties and their elected members are exempt from the rules and may use party or constituency resources to campaign.

Conservative Party of Canada MP Dane Lloyd was appointed by Pierre Poilievre to try to tell Albertans how to vote in the referendum. He will have to take care in how he campaigns, as he could trigger electoral regulations and be forced to register as a third-party advertiser. That said, Elections Alberta has been reticent to apply those rules to federalist campaigns.

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Mayors such as Jeromy Farkas and Andrew Knack have been vocal in opposing any independence-leaning vote, and they are fully within their rights to do so. If they are found to be using any municipal resources to advocate for their positions, though, they will have broken electoral laws. There is no mechanism for a municipality to register as an advertiser.

Farkas has called for legislative changes to allow municipalities to advertise in elections. The demand from Farkas was quickly rebuffed by the provincial government and with very good reasons. Municipal resources are entrusted to them by taxpayers to fill potholes, collect garbage, and provide local policing. They are not to be used as proxy campaign bases to take sides in referenda or elections at other levels of government. The request from Farkas was misguided and irresponsible.

As the campaign heats up, more elected officials at the federal and municipal level will feel inspired to speak up, as is their right as citizens. They must walk carefully when it may involve using party or civic resources, though. Their actions will be scrutinized carefully by other campaigns, and it will be loudly reported if electoral laws are broken, even if the electoral authorities may not act.

Elected officials have the same rights as ordinary citizens, but they are also bound by responsibilities to the offices they represent. Particularly municipalities themselves, which must remain neutral.