The Alberta government says it plans to increase physician spending by more than 20 per cent in its upcoming 2026 budget.

Premier Danielle Smith said her government will spend $7.7 billion on doctors this coming fiscal year.

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It’s one of the first major details to come out of what’s expected to be a budget filled with red ink and a multibillion-dollar deficit.

The government says most of the physician spending will go directly to pay, with $450 million for recruitment efforts.

The Alberta legislature is set to reconvene Tuesday, with the budget to be tabled Thursday.

The return of legislature members comes days after Smith announced a fall referendum on new immigration policies, and a petition seeking to force a vote on the province quitting Canada continues to circulate.