The Alberta Next panel, chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, is holding town halls this summer to get feedback on how the province should stand up to Ottawa while building a “strong and sovereign Alberta within Canada.”
Smith has promised a referendum next year on some of the ideas put forward to the panel.
The premier is leading the 15-member panel, which includes three United Conservative Party legislature members: Brandon Lunty, Glenn van Dijken and the party’s newest MLA, Tara Sawyer, who won a byelection Monday.
Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz is on the panel along with two oil and gas executives and Business Council of Alberta president Adam Legge. Other members are retired judge Bruce McDonald, physician and emergency doctor Dr. Akin Osakuade and University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe.
Following 10 town halls, scheduled to begin in July and end in late September, Smith said the panel would recommend ideas and policy proposals for a referendum.
The panel’s website launched on Tuesday with surveys on six issues. Before taking each survey, participants must watch a short video.
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Here are some of the questions:
“Should the provincial government refuse to provide provincial programs to non-citizens and non-permanent residents living in Alberta unless they have been granted an Alberta government-approved immigration permit?”
“Should Alberta take a lead role in working with other provinces to pressure the federal government to amend the Canadian constitution to empower and better protect provincial rights?”
“Do you agree that the current federal transfer and equalization system is unfair to Alberta?”
“Do you think Alberta should work with other provinces to transfer a larger share of overall taxes from Ottawa to the provinces?”
“What aspect do you like most about an Alberta Police Service?”
“What concerns you most about shifting from the RCMP to an Alberta Police Service?”
“What potential benefit do you like most about Alberta opting to leave the CPP and create its own Pension Plan?”
“Which risk of opting out of CPP to start an Alberta Pension Plan are you most concerned about?”
This survey had problems displaying questions on the website Tuesday afternoon, but a video beforehand asks Albertans if they would support creating a provincial revenue agency.
It says doing so would require hiring 5,000 staff, cost Alberta at least $750 million per year, and require residents to file provincial and federal taxes separately — but it would also create jobs and give Alberta more of a say over its tax regime.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
