Premier Danielle Smith has announced the launch of the Alberta Next panel to engage Albertans on the future of Alberta’s role within Confederation. The panel will gather public input on Alberta’s relationship with the federal government and explore policy ideas that could be put to a referendum in 2026.
Smith said the summer months will be used not only for community events like barbecues and pancake breakfasts, but also for holding critical conversations about Alberta’s future.
“The time is right for this critical discussion,” Smith said. “Albertans recognize that Canada has not been working for our province for a long time.”
The panel will begin holding town halls in July, with sessions continuing through to October. An online survey will also be launched to ensure broad public participation.
The panel includes a mix of UCP MLAs and prominent Albertans, including retired Justice Bruce McDonald, business leader Grant Fagerheim, economist Trevor Tombe, and health experts such as Dr. Aken Asuqwadi and Dr. Benny Xu. Smith also committed to adding Indigenous representation in the coming weeks.
“We’re really hoping to have a broad cross-section,” Smith said. “Everybody hears things a different way, and we want to make sure we’re not missing anything that Albertans have to say.”
MLAs Brandon Lunty, Glenn van Dijken, Rebecca Schulz, and MLA-elect Teriara Sawyer are also part of the panel.
Smith said the panel will examine a variety of ideas that have been discussed in Alberta for years, including the establishment of an Alberta Pension Plan, the creation of a provincial police force, greater provincial control over immigration, reforms to federal equalization and transfer payments, the ability to collect personal income taxes directly, and constitutional changes related to Senate and House of Commons representation.
“The Alberta Next panel will put Albertans in the driver’s seat,” she said. “It will give them the rightful opportunity to decide how Alberta can become stronger and more sovereign within a united Canada.”
Smith emphasized that the panel is not intended to promote separatism. “We aren’t putting a separation question forward,” she said. “Our framework as a government is to pursue options within a united Canada.”
She spent a significant portion of her remarks criticizing Ottawa, arguing that federal decisions have undermined Alberta’s economic interests, particularly in energy.
“Ottawa, led by successive Liberal governments propped up by their NDP allies, have attacked our economy and taken direct aim at Alberta’s core industries,” she said.
The premier cited cancelled pipelines, the West Coast tanker ban, carbon pricing policies, and pending emissions caps as ongoing sources of tension. She said the federal government has ignored Alberta’s concerns, including a previously held referendum calling for equalization reform.
“What Ottawa can’t help but be fixated on is punishing our energy sector,” Smith said.
When asked what message she hopes to send to Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet, Smith said the separatist sentiment in Alberta is real and growing. “I hope he takes the separatist sentiment as seriously as I do. It’s no joke, and it’s the highest I’ve ever seen it,” she said. “He can very easily see it subside if he just addresses these issues.”
Smith also discussed the possibility of a new West Coast pipeline, saying discussions with proponents are ongoing and that a deal could be announced in the coming weeks. She added that any major infrastructure project must include Indigenous equity participation.
“We firmly believe that any major linear projects of this magnitude really do need to have Indigenous equity stake,” she said, citing the government’s increase of the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation’s loan guarantee program to $3 billion.
While the province is not offering revenue certainty contracts for carbon capture projects, Smith said Alberta will continue supporting such investments through refundable capital grants and by recycling carbon tax revenues collected under the TIER program.
The Alberta Next panel builds on the work of the 2019 Fair Deal Panel. That initiative resulted in a referendum on equalization, which Smith said sparked a broader national conversation despite Ottawa’s lack of response.
“We think Albertans now may want to put [these ideas] to a referendum so that we can take some action,” she said. “But there may be others, and that’s what we want to explore.”
Smith confirmed that municipalities will be part of the engagement process. She also addressed recent legislative changes requiring municipal agreements with Ottawa to be reviewed by the province, saying such oversight ensures alignment with provincial policy.
“We believe everybody should participate in this process,” she said. “We’re very accessible.”
The premier concluded by encouraging Albertans from across the political spectrum to take part in the panel’s work, either through town halls or the online survey.
“Your voice matters, and our province’s future depends on it,” she said. “I truly believe Albertans will give us a wealth of ideas that will ensure our beloved province remains forever strong and free.”