Alberta Next panel holding its second event in Edmonton after support in Red Deer

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her panel of appointees will hear from another town hall today on the province's game plan to push back against the federal government.

The first Alberta Next town hall in Red Deer yesterday saw most attendees applaud ideas aimed at seizing control from Ottawa. That includes pulling out of the Canada Pension Plan and creating a provincial police force to replace the RCMP.

Tonight, the panel will be pitching its tent in Edmonton, a city that remains a political stronghold for the Opposition NDP, led by Naheed Nenshi. Smith has said she believes in a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada, and that her panel is meant to address the concerns inspiring more vocal separatist sentiment in the province.

However, many in Red Deer argued that only a separation vote will give the province the negotiating leverage with Ottawa it needs for a fair deal.