Danielle Smith, Alberta Next panel received warmly by Lethbridge crowd in latest stop

Premier Danielle Smith's Alberta Next panel received a relatively warm welcome from a crowd in Lethbridge during the seventh stop of its provincewide tour taking the public's temperature on Alberta's relationship with Ottawa.

The friendly audience was interspersed with pushback from people in attendance who voiced their displeasure with the government and many of the proposals being put forward.

The town halls are aimed at addressing grievances Smith says are allowing separatist sentiments to fester and the results are to inform which questions may be put to a referendum next year. Separatism didn't dominate the discussion, but much of the crowd enjoyed the few occasions audience members alluded to leaving Canada.

One speaker told Smith she would make an excellent president of a sovereign country, prompting cheers from the audience of about 600.

Smith said many of the proposals are geared toward giving Alberta greater control and responsibility over things like tax collection and immigration.