Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken will be part of a provincial panel engaging with Albertans about the risks of benefits of a number of ideas including establishing an Alberta Pension Plan, provincial police service, or the possibility of constitutional changes.
van Dijken was one of 13 original representatives on the panel, which is being chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, with an additional name expected to be announced soon due to a last second drop out due to health concerns.
“We’re going out into the country to have a conversation with Albertans and to essentially continue the discussion; some people would say, ‘Don’t bother with the discussion,’ but I think it’s a healthy process to get an understanding of what’s next for Alberta,” said van Dijken.
"Some people think the discussion is divisive, but I think it can be a very unifying discussion and can help the nation to move into a position of building again. Nation building projects, such as the railroad, such as pipelines in the past, they actuallly unite our country in a common purpose and I think that is very healthy for our country."
Premier Smith announced the panel at a June 24 press conference where she called out the federal government for its decision making, particularly decisions made by the Liberal Party of Canada over the last decade.
“This isn’t just about talk. It’s about action. The Alberta Next Panel is giving everyday Albertans a direct say in the direction of our province,” said Premier Smith in a June 24 press conference.
“It’s time to stand up to Ottawa’s overreach and make sure decisions about Alberta’s future are made here, by the people who live and work here.”
Joining the premier and van Dijken are a collection of other MLAs, including the MLA-elect for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills Tara Sawyer, as well as the president of the Business Council of Alberta Adam Legge, the physician and section chief of the Didsbury Hospital Dr. Akin Osakuade, and the director of fiscal and economic policy at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, Trevor Tombe.
“Right now there is a need to restore fairness and functionality in the country. Years of problematic policy and decisions from Ottawa have hurt Albertan and Canadian prosperity,” said Legge.
“This panel is about listening to Albertans on how we build a stronger Alberta within a united Canada, to which I, and the Business Council of Alberta, are firmly committed.”
So far, the panel has scheduled 10 town halls across the province, including a July 16 stop at Sherwood Park, an Aug. 14 event in Edmonton, and an Aug. 26 appearance in Fort McMurray.
“We’ll be travelling the province, seeking input on a no less significant topic than the future of Alberta itself. The time is right for this critical discussion. Albertans recognize that Canada has not been working for our province for a long time,” said Smith.
The panel will be taking place amongst a backdrop of ongoing discussion about Albertan separatism which has experienced a resurgence since the 2025 federal election. Groups like the Alberta Prosperity Project have been touring the province conducting their own town halls, including stops in Athabasca, Boyle, and Jarvie, although their vision of Alberta sovereignty involves an independent Alberta.
Despite the similarities in language — both groups are using phrases like Albertan sovereignty and referencing the future of the province — van Dijken said the panel is more focused on federal overreach than separation.
“For me, it’s about helping to highlight what is provincial jurisdiction and what is federal jurisdiction within this country, and sovereignty within a United Canada is exactly that,” he said.
“It’s self-determination within the structure that was agreed upon, that our forefathers agreed upon. What has concerned me, and many people, is how the federal government has started to wade more and more often into the areas of provincial jurisdiction.”
Certain issues, including the Alberta Pension Plan, have already seen public feedback. In a story published on June 18, the Edmonton Journal reported that nearly two thirds of Albertans were opposed to leaving the Canadian Pension Plan, per a survey conducted by the government of Alberta in 2023. Ten per cent of Albertans were in favour of a provincial pension plan.
Smith said the ideas heard by the panel will be submitted to the government by Dec. 31, ahead of a provincial referendum set for some time in 2026.
As the northernmost representative on the panel, van DIjken said his goal is to help make sure the region's concerns are accounted for, and to help push the idea that many of the resource development would be taking place north of Edmonton.
"My goal is to help the north realize tis full potential. A lot of what could be considered our opportunity is being stifled by federal policy. I want to have the ability for Albertans to fully realize the opportunity that is in front of them."
