Premier Danielle Smith’s Alberta Next Panel lands in Airdrie on Monday, Sept. 15 as it continues a provincewide tour gauging public views on Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa — feedback that could shape referendum questions slated for 2026.
The panel is built around six long-running grievances Smith’s government has with the federal government, from natural resources to taxation, policing and immigration.
Framed by critics as an orchestrated attack on Ottawa, the Alberta Next tour is promoted by the province as a way to “better protect ourselves from Ottawa’s attacks” while pursuing what Smith calls a stronger, more sovereign Alberta within Canada.
The panel includes retired judges, elected officials, economists and policy experts tasked with exploring how Alberta can assert constitutional powers. Among the options on the table: taking greater control of immigration, withholding some social services from newcomers, pulling out of the Canada Pension Plan in favour of a provincial plan, and replacing the RCMP with a provincial police force.
The Airdrie session runs Sept. 15 from 6 to 9 p.m. at a yet publicly disclosed location. Two more stops are scheduled this month in Grande Prairie on Sept. 17 and Calgary on Sept. 29.
Albertans can also participate in an online Town Hall on Oct. 1 and complete surveys on each topic being explored.
In the meantime, the Alberta NDP has been holding a series of "Better Together" Townhalls to hear from Albertans on a range of topics. It stopped in Airdrie on Sept. 11.
They accuse the UCP of pushing divisive policies like exiting the Canada Pension Plan, replacing the RCMP, and lowering the threshold for a referendum on separation. In contrast, they say their townhalls are designed to bring people together.