EDMONTON — Premier Danielle Smith says she is skeptical of Canada's updated immigration plan, questioning Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to make changes without consulting the provinces.The federal government unveiled its immigration plan for 2027-2029 on Thursday as part of Budget 2026, setting annual targets of 380,000 new permanent residents and 370,000 new temporary residents.It also creates a pathway for 200,000 temporary residents already in Canada to transition to permanent residency, including 100,000 through humanitarian programs and 100,000 workers through Express Entry or Provincial Nominee Programs."I remain concerned that he's announced a whole pile of changes on immigration without consulting the provinces," Smith said during Saturday's episode of Your Province. Your Premier., responding to a caller who asked for her thoughts on the federal budget..The updated plan comes less than a month after Albertans gave Smith's government a mandate to pursue greater control over immigration, allowing the Alberta government to tailor policies to reduce overall immigration levels and prioritize economic immigrants who fill gaps in Alberta's workforce.Smith said following the referendum that she had spoken with Carney and that he was "accepting that Albertans want to have a more collaborative approach between his government and ours on issues of immigration.""I mean, we just had a major referendum where five questions were asked, saying that we want to have a Quebec-style agreement, and we've got brand new targets that are announced.".The premier has argued that provincial governments need more input on federal immigration policies because they best understand the needs of their respective provinces.Carney's plan sets the target for economic immigrants at 64.4% of permanent resident admissions, but Smith is concerned about whether those newcomers will match Alberta's workforce needs."Quite frankly, I always worry that the federal government is not going to match the newcomers into Canada with the needs of our economy," Smith said."And so that's the reason why we want a Quebec-style system is to make sure that a business says, 'Hey, look, I need more welders and pipe fitters and plumbers,' and that those are the folks that we're recruiting.".Alberta's Immigration Minister Joseph Schow also expressed initial concerns, though he said the UCP government is still reviewing the plan to determine whether it addresses calls made by Alberta and other provinces."Our position remains the same, provinces should be able to set their own immigration levels," Schow wrote in a statement sent to the Western Standard. "This position is strengthened by the mandate Albertans gave us on immigration during the October 19th referendum vote."Albertans believe immigration must be economically focused and be used to address legitimate labour shortages. It should not increase pressure on social services or make it difficult for Canadian citizens or permanent residents to find work."Alberta's government will ensure its position is clear as the federal government makes decisions on immigration and changes to initiatives such as the Temporary Foreign Worker Program."
