Tuesday, June 9, 2026
ADVT 
National

Immigration, pension: A look at survey questions put forward by Alberta Next panel

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 25 Jun, 2025 10:44 AM
  • Immigration, pension: A look at survey questions put forward by Alberta Next panel

The Alberta Next panel, chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, is holding town halls this summer to get feedback on how the province should stand up to Ottawa while building a "strong and sovereign Alberta within Canada."

Smith has promised a referendum next year on some of the ideas put forward to the panel.

The panel's website launched on Tuesday with surveys on six issues. Before taking each survey, participants must watch a short video.

Here are some of the questions:

Immigration

"Should the provincial government refuse to provide provincial programs to non-citizens and non-permanent residents living in Alberta unless they have been granted an Alberta government-approved immigration permit?"

Constitutional changes

"Should Alberta take a lead role in working with other provinces to pressure the federal government to amend the Canadian constitution to empower and better protect provincial rights?"

Federal transfers and equalization

"Do you agree that the current federal transfer and equalization system is unfair to Alberta?"

"Do you think Alberta should work with other provinces to transfer a larger share of overall taxes from Ottawa to the provinces?"

Provincial police force

"What aspect do you like most about an Alberta Police Service?"

"What concerns you most about shifting from the RCMP to an Alberta Police Service?"

Alberta pension plan

"What potential benefit do you like most about Alberta opting to leave the CPP and create its own Pension Plan?"

"Which risk of opting out of CPP to start an Alberta Pension Plan are you most concerned about? 

Tax collection

This survey had problems displaying questions on the website Tuesday afternoon, but a video beforehand asks Albertans if they would support creating a provincial revenue agency.

It says doing so would require hiring 5,000 staff, cost Alberta at least $750 million per year, and require residents to file provincial and federal taxes separately -- but it would also create jobs and give Alberta more of a say over its tax regime.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Interior residents get ready to flee as B.C. fire tally soars past 300

Interior residents get ready to flee as B.C. fire tally soars past 300
It's the first time The Inn at Spences Bridge has been empty since April. Dorothy Boragno, who owns the inn with her husband Michael Findlay, said Friday they watched thick smoke across the Thompson River from the out-of-control Shetland Creek wildfire that has already forced others to evacuate.

Interior residents get ready to flee as B.C. fire tally soars past 300

B.C. hospitals pivot to paper amid CrowdStrike global technology outage

B.C. hospitals pivot to paper amid CrowdStrike global technology outage
About 50,000 devices in British Columbia hospitals and health facilities were impacted by the CrowdStrike global technology outage, forcing staff to pivot to using paper to manage everything from lab work to meal orders, the province's health minister said.  Adrian Dix said experts began immediately working on the problem, which has impacted computers running Microsoft Windows, and that the systems are beginning to come back online.

B.C. hospitals pivot to paper amid CrowdStrike global technology outage

Body of missing B.C. teenager found in Surrey, RCMP say death is suspicious

Body of missing B.C. teenager found in Surrey, RCMP say death is suspicious
Homicide investigators are looking into the death of a Langley teenager whose body was found in the Port Kells area of Surrey. Surrey RCMP say the body of 17-year-old Wenyan Michael Zhao was found in the 17900-block of 99A Avenue at 5:30 a.m. Friday.

Body of missing B.C. teenager found in Surrey, RCMP say death is suspicious

Proposed class-action lawsuit filed over Calgary water main break

Proposed class-action lawsuit filed over Calgary water main break
A proposed class-action lawsuit has been filed against the City of Calgary, claiming businesses needlessly lost significant revenue due to a water main break. In a statement of claim filed Wednesday, Angel's Cafe, located near the June 5 water main rupture, alleges the city knew the failed pipe was made of lower-grade materials and should have moved to prevent the failure.

Proposed class-action lawsuit filed over Calgary water main break

Canadian flights, hospitals, border disrupted during global technology outage

Canadian flights, hospitals, border disrupted during global technology outage
Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said the glitch felt round the world occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows — and that the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue affected Microsoft 365 apps and services, and disruptions continued after the techcompany said it was gradually fixing the problem.

Canadian flights, hospitals, border disrupted during global technology outage

Motorcyclist injured in crash

Motorcyclist injured in crash
Mounties in Richmond are looking for more witnesses and dashcam footage after a motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash on Sunday. R-C-M-P say witnesses told investigators that the motorcycle collided with another vehicle before the Audi S-U-V made a left turn into a residential driveway.

Motorcyclist injured in crash