Premier Ed Stelmach said Thursday he was relieved Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean has granted the prime minister's request to suspend Parliament until the end of January.

Premier Ed Stelmach speaks to reporters in Edmonton on Thursday. (CBC)

"I feel much better this morning. Relieved," Stelmach said.

"This is the best thing to do, because otherwise we would have been putting this country in the hands of a coalition that I … I don't know what their plans were going to be, how they were going to treat Alberta."

Many of the calls to his office from Albertans were in favour of a suspension, Stelmach said.

The government will introduce a budget shortly after Parliament resumes on Jan. 26.

Stephen Harper will meet with Canada's premiers on Jan. 16 to discuss what the budget should contain to help stimulate the economy.

Stelmach is confident Harper will listen to what he and his counterparts will have to say, but he thinks the Tory government will still face a confidence vote, no matter what it does.

The premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan, B.C., Northwest Territories and Yukon were holding a conference call Thursday afternoon to come up with a common agenda, Stelmach said.

Anti-coaltion protesters demostrate in front of NDP MP's office

Stelmach's comments came as about 250 people rallied against the proposed coalition outside the office of Edmonton-Strathcona NDP MP Linda Duncan.

About 250 people protested against the proposed opposition coalition Thursday in front of the Edmonton office of NDP MP Linda Duncan. (CBC) Protesters chanted and carried signs that read: "Stop the coalition," "The Bloc will hold Canada ransom," and "To the coup in Ottawa: You are unelected, unaccountable and unwanted."

Concordia student Mat Altheim addressed the crowd.

"Stéphane Dion and Jack Layton who say they are nationalists must now appease the Bloc in every confidence of the House of Commons," Altheim said, to boos from the crowd.

"Today let's send a message to Ottawa. I want people across this nation to know we here in Edmonton believe in Canada and we stand firm with our bretheren in Quebec and across this nation who believe in a unified Canada."

He called on Duncan, the only MP in Alberta who is not a Conservative, not to support the coalition.

A petition asking Duncan to stand up to the "undemocratic overthrow of the people's government," and sit as an independent in the House of Commons, was passed around for people to sign.

Rallies in favour of the coalition were planned for Thursday evening in Edmonton and Calgary. More rallies are planned on Saturday.