December 22, 2025
RED FM News Desk
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is pushing back against criticism over the timing of the release of a major report examining the province’s relationship with Ottawa, saying its late-Friday publication just before the Christmas holidays does not signal an attempt to avoid scrutiny.
The report from the Alberta Next panel — a group hand-picked by Smith — calls for sweeping changes, including replacing the RCMP with a provincial police service and holding a provincewide referendum on withdrawing from the Canada Pension Plan.
According to the panel’s findings and recommendations, the creation of an Alberta-based pension plan emerged as the most contentious and heavily debated issue during public consultations. The panel concluded the question should be put directly to voters.
“Replacing the CPP with an Alberta plan is the most financially meaningful initiative Albertans have the right to pursue on our own to enhance our sovereignty and financial independence within a united Canada,” the report states.
The panel was chaired by Smith herself and forms part of the government’s broader Alberta Next initiative, which explores ways the province could assert greater autonomy within the federation.
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