{"id":6955,"date":"2025-07-19T02:11:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T02:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/6955\/"},"modified":"2025-07-19T02:11:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T02:11:18","slug":"danielle-smiths-alberta-next-panel-makes-changes-to-3-surveys-to-fix-oversight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/6955\/","title":{"rendered":"Danielle Smith\u2019s Alberta Next panel makes changes to 3 surveys to fix \u2018oversight\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Alberta is making changes to its online citizen survey following criticism that the original version was a slanted push poll designed to stir up discontent with the federal government.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752731349_272_70c8fc80.png\" alt=\"\" style=\"position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Smith\u2019s office confirmed Thursday they are making changes to three of the six surveys launched three weeks ago to gauge public opinion on Alberta distancing itself from Ottawa oversight and control.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019re part of Smith\u2019s touring town hall group, dubbed the <a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/tag\/alberta-next-panel\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Alberta Next panel<\/a>, pitching strategies that could lead to possible referendums.<\/p>\n<p>Three of the six surveys asked respondents to comment on the province creating its own pension plan, police force and tax collection agency.<\/p>\n<p>But those who filled out those surveys weren\u2019t allowed to disagree with the concept. That is changing, said Smith\u2019s spokesman.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile we are very interested in hearing everyone\u2019s top benefit and top concern on these issues, panelists had heard feedback from various people during this week\u2019s town halls that they wanted a \u2018none of the above\u2019 option to select, so we added that option to the pension plan and provincial police surveys,\u201d Sam Blackett said in an email.<\/p>\n<p>Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-blockquote__content l-article__blockquoteContent\">\u201cFor consistency, we have also added it to the tax collection question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Almost 32,000 people have filled out the online survey, and can\u2019t take it a second time due to IP address checks.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-video__image\" alt=\"Click to play video: 'Alberta Next panel in Red Deer hears support, calls for separation vote'\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/LT_ALBERTA_NEXT_RD.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"   data-\/><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1:53<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlberta Next panel in Red Deer hears support, calls for separation vote\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>At an Alberta Next town hall Wednesday, Smith announced the revised questions after hearing continued criticism about the survey\u2019s bias.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"170\" height=\"225\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752731349_312_national.jpg\" alt=\"For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tGet breaking National news<\/p>\n<p>For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday morning, Smith told The Canadian Press the changes were to fix an oversight and said the results of all surveys would be combined, despite the fact that some surveys would now have options not open to others.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to get some indication of whether or not an issue has sufficient support to put on a ballot,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-blockquote__content l-article__blockquoteContent\">\u201cI think we\u2019ll get a good indication from the people who respond to the surveys and come to our town halls.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<p>But by Thursday afternoon, Smith\u2019s office reversed course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs the change does add some complexity, the survey results for the different versions will be separated,\u201d said Blackett.<\/p>\n<p>Blackett noted that all surveys already have a comments portal for people to make their opinion known, and said \u201cmany have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The end result is nine surveys: the original six, plus the three surveys containing the amended questions.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-video__image\" alt=\"Click to play video: 'Alberta Next survey asks if Alberta should reform federal equalization payments'\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/6P_AB_EQUALIZATION_SURVERY_PIC.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"   data-\/><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2:04<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlberta Next survey asks if Alberta should reform federal equalization payments\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\tTrending Now\n\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/11292184\/american-tourist-brian-tarrence-dead-turks-and-caicos\/\" class=\"c-posts__inner\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-posts__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752891077_372_brian-tarrence-missing.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"336\" height=\"224\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tRemains of U.S. tourist found in Turks and Caicos after he vanished on vacation\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/11292449\/woman-living-in-cave-2-daughters-india\/\" class=\"c-posts__inner\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-posts__thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752891077_70_cave-2.png\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"336\" height=\"224\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\tIndian police find Russian mom living in a cave with her 2 young daughters\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Opposition NDP deputy leader Rakhi Pancholi said the entire engagement process has been manipulated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the beginning to the end, this is all about Danielle Smith setting up the system so that she can have the referendum questions that she wants on the ballot,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe premier doesn\u2019t care, honestly, what Albertans think about these issues, because if she did, she would know that all of the ideas she\u2019s proposing \u2014 from the police force to Alberta tax collection to the Alberta pension plan \u2014 have all been solidly rejected by Albertans for years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-video__image\" alt=\"Click to play video: 'Alberta considers cutting services to immigrants in government survey'\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SAT_GN_HYW_SITE_THUMB_280625.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"   data-\/><\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2:12<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlberta considers cutting services to immigrants in government survey\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Alberta public opinion pollster Janet Brown said the government\u2019s effort is not a polling exercise, but a public engagement exercise, and changing the questions mid-stream only underscores that.<\/p>\n<p>She said the survey will offer a good idea of who participated in the process, but it\u2019s not a random representative survey, so she would still want to do her own before coming to conclusions about public opinion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you turn your porch light on and then you count all the insects that start coming to the light, you\u2019ve learned something about the insects in your backyard that are attracted to the light, but you haven\u2019t learned anything about the insects that aren\u2019t attracted to the light,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n<p>Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Brown added she understands why the premier is giving Albertans an opportunity to express their anger with Ottawa.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not saying she\u2019s right or she\u2019s wrong for doing it,\u201d said Brown. \u201cBut there\u2019s a group of agitated people out there, and this is an exercise to engage with them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tMore on Politics<br \/>\n\t\t\tMore videos\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t&amp;copy 2025 The Canadian Press\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alberta is making changes to its online citizen survey following criticism that the original version was a 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