CALGARY — Whether Alberta should withhold social services from immigrants is among the issues Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is tabling for debate this summer when she travels the province to consult citizens on potential referendum questions.
The tour is part of what Smith has dubbed the "Alberta Next" panel. At a news conference Tuesday, she announced details of its work and named its 15 members.
At the same time, six online surveys were launched on the panel's website, which are to help inform what questions the government puts to a referendum next year.
"If Alberta isn't satisfied with the number or kind of newcomers moving to our province, we may have the option to withhold provincial social programs to any non-citizen or non-permanent resident who does not have an Alberta-approved immigration status," says a video participants are required to view before taking the immigration survey.
The speaker in the video says although the federal government decides who is let into Canada, provinces pay for most social programs that they need.
The video says immigration is to blame for high housing costs and unemployment rates, adding that "many of the divisions and disputes that plague other countries have begun making their way into ours."
The first of two survey questions on the topic asks how Albertans feel about last year's immigration level.
The second asks whether the province should refuse to provide programs to non-citizens and non-permanent residents "unless they have been granted an Alberta government-approved immigration permit."
The surveys also ask about a provincial pension plan, a provincial police force, tax collection, constitutional changes and federal transfers.
At the news conference, Smith said six issues had been put forward by a previous panel that she thinks Albertans might want to have a referendum on, but she didn't provide details.
She said she doesn't want to prejudge what ideas or proposals might be considered for a referendum. She encouraged Albertans to attend the town halls and fill out a the online surveys.
"Your voice matters and our province's future depends on it," Smith said.
"Ottawa has been interfering in every aspect of our provincial jurisdiction in deeper and deeper ways for about a decade now, and we've had enough of it," the premier added.
"It's not so much the West wants in, as the West wants Ottawa out of its hair."
Smith hinted at her new panel earlier in the year, saying it would poll Albertans on what the province should do after the federal election if her list of demands made to Prime Minister Mark Carney in March weren't met.
She has previously said a referendum on Alberta separation could also happen next year, though she repeated Tuesday that she wouldn't initiate one herself and the panel's mandate is to improve the province's position in Canada.
The surveys don't touch on separation.
The other surveys suggest several ideas the province could advocate for, including abolishing the federal senate, expanding the Supreme Court of Canada to include more Western judges and allowing the province to appoint Court of King's Bench judges.
They also revisit a potential Alberta pension plan — an idea the province pursued through town halls and surveys in late 2023. Smith said last month she doesn't see an appetite for a referendum on the issue.
Videos for the surveys outline potential drawbacks. For immigration, a video notes the federal government would likely take Alberta to court. It says a more hands-on approach would cost more, though that could be offset "in corresponding savings to our social programs."
A video also suggests setting up an Alberta revenue agency for tax collection, but notes that it would require 5,000 new public employees and annual budgets of at least $750 million per year.
"The time is right for this critical discussion," said Smith.
"We'll be travelling the province, seeking input in no less significant topic than the future of Alberta itself."
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.
"Alberta is full of engaged citizens who care deeply about their province and its future," Smith said. "And I truly believe that they will give us a wealth of ideas that will ensure our beloved province remains forever strong and free."
Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the premier is wasting time and money by rehashing former premier Jason Kenney's Fair Deal panel, which toured the province six years ago in search of ways Alberta could gain leverage over Ottawa.
"We've had this panel already just a couple years ago, but she loves nothing more than paying UCP insiders taxpayer money to do these ridiculous things so she can keep the fire burning," Nenshi said.
"It will result in nothing that we haven't already heard, except it will allow her to have something to keep fighting about."
Kenney's panel eventually published 25 recommendations, including those to create a provincial police force and an Alberta pension plan.
He adopted neither before Smith took the reins. Since then, Smith has set the legislative stage for a provincial police force while showing wavering interest in the pension plan proposal.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025.
— With files from Jack Farrell in Edmonton
Matthew Scace, The Canadian Press
