A government-appointed panel studying Alberta’s place in Confederation has delivered a sweeping set of recommendations aimed at reducing Ottawa’s influence and expanding provincial control, including calls for new referendums on immigration and constitutional change.The Alberta Next Panel submitted its final report to the province after months of public engagement, outlining seven recommendations it says would strengthen Alberta’s sovereignty while remaining within a united Canada. The government says caucus will review the proposals in the coming months and has not committed to adopting any of them.Premier Danielle Smith said the feedback showed deep frustration among Albertans with federal decision-making that they believe has constrained the province’s economy and autonomy. She said the panel’s work was focused on identifying concrete options for Alberta to chart its own course.Among the recommendations is a call for the province to continue building institutions that reduce dependence on Ottawa, including moving forward with work on a standalone Alberta Police Service to replace RCMP community policing in rural and smaller urban areas. .The panel also recommended taking a leading role in pushing reforms to equalization and fiscal federalism with other provinces.On pensions, the panel urged the government to first release a detailed Alberta Pension Plan proposal explaining benefits, governance, contribution rates and implementation before any referendum is held on exiting the Canada Pension Plan. It also recommended completing a cost-benefit analysis of Alberta collecting its own personal income taxes, though without holding a referendum on that issue for now.The panel further called for a provincial referendum on Alberta exercising greater control over immigration, as well as a separate referendum on working with other provinces to pursue constitutional amendments. Those proposed amendments include protecting provincial jurisdiction from federal interference, allowing provinces to opt out of federal programs without losing funding, giving provinces the power to appoint their own King’s Bench and Court of Appeal justices, and abolishing the unelected federal Senate..Chaired by Smith, the Alberta Next Panel included political, academic and community voices tasked with gathering public input and advising government. The engagement process included 10 in-person town halls across the province, an online town hall, surveys and public polling.According to the government, more than 5,000 Albertans attended the town halls, livestreams drew roughly 800,000 views, and thousands more participated through surveys and written submissions. The panel completed its work on time and on budget, with its report now publicly available as the government considers its next steps.
