UPDATED: Smith opens door to independence referendum, will chair 'Alberta Next Panel' in escalating pushback against Ottawa

In an address to Albertans on Monday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith opened the door to a "separation" referendum if it is organized by citizens.

Smith announced the formation of an upcoming "Alberta Next Panel," which she will chair, to engage in town halls and discuss Alberta's future within Canada, focusing on protecting the province from "hostile" federal policies.

She will appoint a "special negotiating team" to represent Alberta in negotiations with Ottawa on the following demands: a guaranteed resource corridor and port access to tidewater off the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic coasts, and repealing the no new pipelines law, C-69, the oil tanker ban, net zero electricity regulations, the oil and gas emissions cap, the net zero vehicle mandate, and any federal law that tries to regulate industrial carbon emissions, plastics, or the "free speech" of energy companies.

Smith also said, the "federal government must refrain from imposing export taxes or restrictions on the export of Alberta resources without the consent of the Government of Alberta."

Also, Smith said Ottawa must provide Alberta the same federal transfers and equalization as received by the other three largest provinces — Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.

"So, while I will, in good faith, work with Prime Minister Mark Carney on unwinding the mountain of destructive legislation and policies that have ravaged our provincial and national economies this past decade, until I see tangible proof of real change, Alberta will be taking steps to better protect ourselves from Ottawa," she said.

The Alberta Next Panel will include judicial, academic, and economic experts. Popular ideas from these discussions may be put to a provincial referendum in 2026, allowing Albertans to vote.

"We just want to be free," said Smith. "Free to develop and export that incredible wealth of resources we have for the benefit of our families and future generations. Free to pursue opportunities with the ideals of entrepreneurship, hard work and innovation that have become synonymous with the name of our province."

CWhile the province will not propose a referendum on independence from Canada, it will respect a citizen-led petition with sufficient signatures to include such a question on the 2026 ballot.

Smith and the United Conservative Party recently made a potential referendum easier through the introduction of Bill 54.

Smith emphasized her commitment to upholding the constitutional rights of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples, ensuring any referendum question respects these rights.

"Our province has contributed hundreds of billions of dollars more to the federal treasury for use in other parts of the country than we’ll ever receive back in benefits," she said.

"We have allowed this to occur because, quite frankly, we know how blessed our province is with an endowment of natural resources that no other country on earth possesses — and we want all of our friends, families and fellow Canadians across the country to benefit from it."

Some indigenous people are starting to push back against the idea of Alberta independence — and Smith.