Co-founder Drew Barnes reveals new “Alberta Now” federal political party

Posted on October 1, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

By Brendan Miller
Southern Alberta Newspapers

Former Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes has publicly announced he will be co-founding a new political party that would represent Alberta-focused interests in Ottawa while operating within Canada’s current system. 

Barnes made the announcement over the weekend of Sept. 7 while attending the Capitalism and Morality conference in Calgary and he says the new federal political party will be modelled after the Bloc Québécois. 

“I hear so much from Albertans how they feel underrepresented in Ottawa, underrepresented by the Conservative Party of Canada, and they’re asking for the opportunity for a party that just represents Alberta values,” Barnes told Southern Alberta Newspapers. “If we even have the balance of power, where we could get Alberta needs much more dominance in Ottawa, that’s the strength of it. If we can have a federal party in Ottawa that’s focused on conservative values and Alberta only, that will pay some dividends.”

Barnes says the party’s key properties include strengthening Alberta’s oil and gas and agriculture sectors while also increasing provincial control over federally imposed environment regulations.

“I envision us having representation for Alberta in Ottawa,” he says. “And if Ottawa is going to do things that are good for Alberta, we will absolutely support it.”

The party’s platform is also designed around supporting a smaller government, lower taxes, free enterprises and fighting for constitutional changes.

The Alberta Now party would oppose all equalization efforts in Ottawa, move forward more partnerships to get pipelines built and eliminate or rescue interprovincial taxation of Alberta royalties, like oil and gas.

“We need somebody in Ottawa fighting for provincial control over environmental regulations,” says Barnes, who is critical of Premier Danielle Smith’s leadership of the UCP party.

“There’s many things she could do without having to go back and ask Ottawa,” he said.

Barnes says the Alberta Now party, similar to the Bloc Québécois, would increase provincial control over immigration, collect all tax dollars and he says the party would look to fund an Alberta provincial pension program and an Alberta police force.

“These are things that (Smith) doesn’t need to confuse a referendum question by having them on a ballot,” Barnes said.

The party would work within Canada’s existing political system rather than pursue separation.

With the Alberta referendum vote looming less than one month away, Barnes says the Alberta Now party is an alternative option to separatism and to existing conservative representation, while remaining open to greater autonomy within Canada.

“A united Canada, as long as we have a free and prosperous strong Alberta, that’s what everybody wants,” Barnes said. “A large part of the separation is based on the fact that they don’t feel they can achieve it within Canada, and that’s back to how ineffective our current representation has been.”

Since the official announcement of the new Alberta Now party, Barnes says the party has already received more than 500 verified signatures and will be submitting to Elections Canada within the coming weeks to start the verification process estimated to take between two-to-three months to complete after the submission. Which means the new political party could receive official party status by the end of 2026 or the start of 2027.

“If Alberta wants to have a stronger spot in Canada, be more free and more prosperous within Canada, then that’s what will work for all well,” said Barnes.

Barnes, who finished second in the 2025 Medicine Hat mayoral race, says the federal party will only run in the province’s 37 ridings.

“I believe that smaller government, lower taxes and more free enterprise is what’s good for not only Alberta, but good for all of Canada, and that’s what the party is going to be designed on. The people we’re talking to are believers in smaller government, lower taxes and they’re believers in more provincial autonomy and they’re believers in constitutional change.”