Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party, is co-chairing a virtual public forum with Gordon Campbell, former premier of British Columbia, to discuss Western Canada's grievances with Ottawa ahead of Alberta's fall referendum. The sessions, scheduled for September 19-20, aim to be educational and non-partisan, engaging voters on the issues without promoting partisan bickering. Manning hopes the event will demonstrate democratic procedure and ethics in action, particularly for young people who have lost faith in institutions. The forum's conclusions are expected to influence policymakers across Western Canada, not just Alberta.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-14,
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Preston Manning, a former leader of the Reform Party, is co-chairing a virtual public forum to discuss Western Canada's grievances with Ottawa ahead of Alberta's fall referendum. The forum will be held on September 19-20 and will also feature Gordon Campbell, a former premier of British Columbia. The event comes as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith plans to put 10 questions to voters, including whether they want the province to remain in Canada or hold a second referendum on separation. Manning said the goal of the forum is to educate voters and encourage them to participate in the referendum without engaging in partisan bickering. The forum is meant to be different from other public advisory panels that have previously discussed these issues.
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Leaning score +0.60 for article 737 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-08-27
Preston Manning co-chairing virtual public forum on grievances with Ottawa ahead of Alberta referendum
Virtual sessions in September to be co-chaired by former Reform Party leader
Preston Manning is stepping into the fray ahead of Alberta's fall referendum by headlining a public forum tackling Western Canada's long-standing grievances with Ottawa.
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Manning → co → Ottawa
The virtual sessions, set for Sept. 19 and 20, are to be co-chaired by Manning, the former Reform Party leader, and former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell.
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sessions → set → Manning
The event comes as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is set to put 10 questions to voters on Oct. 19, including whether they want the province to remain in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on separation.
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province → come → separation
Manning said the events are meant to be educational and engage voters without sinking into partisan bickering that often characterizes public meetings.
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that → say → meetings
"This is an important referendum, and it's important that people, no matter what their views are, that they get out and vote on it," he said in an interview Thursday.
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he → get → interview
He said it will be different than other public advisory panels that approached the same issues, such as the Alberta Next panel under Smith, and the previous Fair Deal panel on which Manning served.
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Manning → say → which
"They're useful exercises, [but] those tend to end up being partisan.
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those → tend → ?
You get your own bunch being in the majority of the meetings," he said.
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he → get → meetings
"This is intended to be a little broader than that."
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This → intend → that
He added it's not about championing one view over another, with speakers taking turns presenting various options.
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speakers → add → options
The assembly plans to hold a follow-up session in October and create recommendations after Alberta's vote.
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assembly → plan → vote
Then it will share its proposals with policymakers across Western Canada.
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it → share → Canada
Manning said concerns about the role of the federal government are shared outside of Alberta, so the assembly's conclusions would be relevant to other provinces.
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conclusions → say → provinces
He said the assembly is meant to be a democratic exercise without partisan wrangling.
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assembly → say → wrangling
"People don't see that process operating in legislatures today.
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process → see → legislatures
They don't see it operating in the House of Commons.
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it → see → Commons
What they see there is instant polarization on issues," he said.
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he → see → issues
"Maybe it can demonstrate, particularly to young people who are losing faith in democratic institutions, that it is possible to resurrect that democratic procedure and that democratic ethic."
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it → demonstrate → procedure
Manning also said they hope to draw attention to Smith's nine other ballot questions.
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they → say → questions
They include proposals to restrict social services from some immigrants, to push for constitutional negotiations on abolishing the Senate and giving provinces the power to appoint superior court judges.
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They → include → judges
Smith has framed those proposals as a political compromise that could address some of Alberta's grievances with Ottawa.
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that → frame → Ottawa
She has said she and her United Conservative Party want to remain in Canada.
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she → say → Canada
Manning said a yes vote for those nine proposals will encourage provinces to "push the envelope" on issues of shared federal-provincial jurisdiction, including immigration.
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vote → say → immigration
