Alberta Next Panel releases recommendations on province’s future within Canada

After months of public engagement across Alberta, the Alberta Next Panel has released seven recommendations that aim to strengthen the province’s autonomy while remaining within a united Canada.

The panel’s report, delivered Friday, outlines a series of measures the provincial government could pursue to expand provincial control in areas ranging from pensions to policing to constitutional reform.

Among the key recommendations is a call for two referendum questions on future ballots. The first would ask Albertans whether the provincial government should exercise greater control over immigration.

The second would seek approval for Alberta to collaborate with other provinces on constitutional amendments to protect provincial jurisdiction. The proposed amendments include shielding provincial areas of authority from federal interference, allowing provinces to opt out of federal programs without losing associated funding, permitting provinces to appoint their own King’s Bench and Court of Appeal justices, and abolishing the federal Senate.

The release of the report has already drawn sharp criticism from the opposition NDP. Leader Naheed Nenshi is arguing that the process leading to the recommendations was flawed from the outset, warning several of the proposals represent significant risks to the province.

“This government spent millions of dollars of taxpayer money on a biased process where Albertans were routinely silenced or disrespected if they disagreed with the pre‑formed outcomes,” reads a statement from Nenshi.

The panel’s report also recommends that the provincial government provide Albertans with a detailed proposal for a potential Alberta Pension Plan (APP). The document would outline benefits, governance structure, contribution rates and an implementation plan.

A referendum on whether Alberta should withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan should only be held after the proposal is made public, according to the report.

The report also calls for a complete cost‑benefit analysis of Alberta collecting its own personal income taxes. While the panel supports studying the idea, it advises against scheduling a referendum at this time.

The panel urges Alberta to take a leading role in working with other provinces and the federal government to reform equalization and broader fiscal federalism.

It also recommends continuing work to establish an Alberta Police Service (APS) to assume rural and small‑city policing from the RCMP. The transition would see community policing responsibilities shift to the APS and municipal forces.

Nenshi criticized this direction as well, arguing that “the UCP wants to pull Alberta out of the RCMP, take control of seniors’ hard‑earned pensions, and take over jurisdiction of immigration, all for their own political gain.”

The Alberta Next Panel held public meetings in 10 communities — including Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Fort McMurray, and Lethbridge — as well as an online town hall. More than 5,000 Albertans took part.

The panel was formed earlier this year following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s federal election victory.

Premier Danielle Smith framed the initiative as an opportunity to reassess Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa. The process examined six major proposals, including increased provincial control over immigration, the creation of an Alberta Pension Plan and the establishment of a provincial police service.

With files from The Canadian Press