POLL: Alberta pension plan gains traction with UCP voters, majority still back federal oversight

CALGARY — A new poll suggests that a large majority of Alberta residents want public pensions to remain under federal control, underscoring both the economic and political risks tied to any push for a provincial pension plan.According to a new poll conducted by Mainstreet Research and commissioned by the Western Standard, 62% of Albertans surveyed said the federal government should oversee public pensions, compared with 38% who would prefer the Alberta government to take control..While the 23-point gap shows that the desire for an Alberta pension plan is strong among UCP voters – 64% — it does not command majority support across the province.Among those who intended to vote for Naheed Nenshi’s NDP, 87.5% wished to continue under the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), while older Albertans polled were also shown to be massively skeptical of a new province-led plan..Alberta Liberal Party voters also overwhelmingly supported the CPP at 83.9%.Roughly 72% of those aged 65 and over say pensions should remain under federal management.Younger voters were somewhat more open to provincial control, but even among those aged 18 to 34, 60.6% still preferred Ottawa’s oversight.The most divided group was voters aged 35 to 49, with roughly 45% saying Alberta should manage pensions — the highest level of support among any age bracket..The poll also reveals a noticeable split along gender lines, as women were significantly more likely to support federal oversight, with 67% favouring the CPP.Across the divide were men who were more receptive to provincial management at 43.9%, though 56% still favoured federal control.In Alberta’s two largest cities — Calgary and Edmonton — approximately 63% of respondents said they still supported the CPP.However, support for federal control dips slightly outside the major cities, but even in the rest of Alberta, nearly 59% still favoured Ottawa retaining control.University-educated Albertans were also the most resistant to transferring pension authority to the provincial government, with nearly 70% favouring federal management.College-educated voters were also more divided, with 55.3% supporting the CPP, while those with a high school education or less still leaned toward federal control by a comfortable margin of 61%.The Mainstreet Research poll was conducted from February 10 to 12, 2026, among 1,504 Alberta adults aged 18 and older.The margin of error is plus or minus 2.5% at the 95% confidence level.

POLL: Alberta pension plan gains traction with UCP voters, majority still back federal oversight

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