{"id":940,"date":"2026-01-30T17:42:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T10:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=940"},"modified":"2026-01-30T17:42:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T10:42:16","slug":"are-trump-officials-fueling-albertas-separatist-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=940","title":{"rendered":"Are Trump Officials Fueling Alberta\u2019s Separatist Push?","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Canada\u2019s Prime Minister Mark Carney<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> has said he expects the United States to respect Canada\u2019s sovereignty following reports that Alberta separatist leaders have held multiple meetings with officials linked to President Donald Trump<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> administration.<\/p>\n

The Financial Times<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> reported that officials from the U.S. State Department met several times with representatives of the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), a group advocating a referendum on whether the resource-rich western province should leave Canada.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Thursday, Carney said he had raised the issue directly with Trump. \u201cI expect the US administration to respect Canadian sovereignty,\u201d he said, adding that he hoped both countries could now focus on areas of cooperation.<\/p>\n

Carney, who was raised in Edmonton, noted that separatist sentiment in Alberta is not new and has existed for decades.<\/p>\n

Trump has repeatedly suggested Canada could become the \u201c51st state\u201d of the United States, comments that have drawn sharp criticism north of the border.<\/p>\n

\n

Reports Detail US Contacts With Alberta Separatist Group<\/h4>\n

According to the Financial Times, leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project met U.S. State Department officials in Washington at least three times since April last year. Trump returned to office for a second term in January.<\/p>\n

The reported meetings have triggered concern in Ottawa over potential U.S. involvement in Canadian domestic politics.<\/p>\n

Those concerns were heightened after remarks last week by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a>, who described Alberta as \u201ca natural partner for the US\u201d and praised its resource base and \u201cindependent\u201d character in an interview with the right-wing broadcaster Real America\u2019s Voice<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bessent criticised Canada\u2019s pipeline policies and suggested Alberta\u2019s energy could flow south into the United States. He also referenced speculation about a possible referendum on Alberta\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

Asked whether he had inside knowledge of a separatist push, Bessent said, \u201cPeople are talking. People want sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n

After those comments, APP leader Jeffrey Rath<\/span><\/span><\/strong> said the group was seeking another meeting with U.S. officials next month, where it may raise the possibility of a $500bn credit line to support Alberta should a future independence vote occur.<\/p>\n

\n

Diplomatic Tensions Frame the Debate<\/h4>\n

The developments come at a sensitive moment in U.S.-Canada relations, with trade disputes ongoing and broader global tensions in play.<\/p>\n

At the World Economic Forum<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> in Davos earlier this year, Carney warned that Washington\u2019s actions were contributing to a \u201crupture\u201d in the global order.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s expansionist rhetoric has extended beyond Canada. He has publicly floated the idea of acquiring Greenland from Denmark, another NATO ally, and his administration has taken aggressive steps toward Venezuela, including actions targeting its leadership and oil sector.<\/p>\n

\"Are<\/p>\n

\n

Canadian Leaders Respond With Sharp Words<\/h4>\n

Reaction from Canadian political leaders has been swift and, in some cases, severe.<\/p>\n

British Columbia Premier David Eby<\/span><\/span><\/strong> described the reported meetings as \u201ctreason.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo ask a foreign power to help break up Canada\u2014there\u2019s an old word for that, and it\u2019s treason,\u201d Eby told reporters, accusing separatist leaders of undermining national unity.<\/p>\n

Ontario Premier Doug Ford<\/span><\/span><\/strong> struck a more conciliatory tone, calling for unity. \u201cIt\u2019s Team Canada,\u201d he said, warning against divisions across provinces.<\/p>\n

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, however, said she would not condemn Albertans who support separation, citing what she called \u201clegitimate grievances\u201d with Ottawa. Smith, a longtime Trump supporter, visited Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago estate in January 2025 while other Canadian leaders were openly criticising his remarks about annexation.<\/p>\n

\n

Why Separatist Sentiment Persists in Alberta<\/h4>\n

Tensions between Alberta and the federal government have deep roots, largely centred on energy policy and revenue sharing.<\/p>\n

Many Albertans argue that federal environmental regulations, carbon pricing and pipeline delays limit the province\u2019s ability to export oil and gas. As a landlocked region, Alberta depends heavily on pipelines crossing other provinces to reach international markets.<\/p>\n

Despite contributing around 15 percent of Canada\u2019s GDP while accounting for roughly 12 percent of the population, Alberta receives no equalisation payments under the federal system that redistributes funds to less wealthy provinces.<\/p>\n

The province produces more than 80 percent of Canada\u2019s oil and about 60 percent of its natural gas.<\/p>\n

Carney recently signed an agreement that could allow an oil pipeline to the Pacific coast, though the project faces political opposition and regulatory hurdles.<\/p>\n

\n

What a Referendum Would Involve<\/h4>\n

Polling by Ipsos<\/span><\/span><\/strong> suggests that about 30 percent of Albertans would support beginning the process of leaving Canada. However, roughly one in five of those supporters view such a vote as symbolic rather than a definitive push for independence.<\/p>\n

Under Alberta\u2019s citizen-initiative rules, separatists would need nearly 178,000 signatures to force a referendum, potentially later this year.<\/p>\n

Even if a vote passed, independence would not be immediate. Canada\u2019s Clarity Act<\/span><\/span><\/strong> requires the federal government to determine whether the referendum question and outcome constitute a clear mandate before negotiations could begin on issues such as borders, debt and Indigenous rights.<\/p>\n

\n

The Alberta Prosperity Project\u2019s Goals<\/h4>\n

The Alberta Prosperity Project describes itself as a non-partisan educational initiative seeking greater autonomy for the province. It argues Alberta would benefit from full control over its resources, taxes and policies.<\/p>\n

On its website, the group says the term \u201cAlberta sovereignty\u201d has increasingly come to mean full independence for many residents, driven by economic and political frustrations.<\/p>\n

Critics, however, have questioned the APP\u2019s economic assumptions and its claims about the feasibility of an independent Alberta.<\/p>\n

\n

Washington Denies Backing Separatists<\/h4>\n

U.S. officials told the Financial Times that meetings with civil society groups are routine and that no commitments or support were offered to Alberta separatists.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, CBC<\/span><\/span><\/strong> quoted U.S. security analyst Brandon Weichert suggesting that Trump\u2019s \u201c51st state\u201d comments were, in effect, aimed at Alberta. Speaking on a show hosted by Steve Bannon<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, Weichert speculated that the U.S. could recognise an independent Alberta.<\/p>\n

\n

Parallels With Greenland<\/h4>\n

Canada is not the only country to face such dynamics. Trump has repeatedly pressed for Greenland to join the United States, drawing firm opposition from Denmark and European leaders.<\/p>\n

In August 2025, Denmark summoned the top U.S. diplomat in Copenhagen after reports that Trump allies were compiling a list of Greenlanders supportive of closer ties with Washington\u2014an episode that has heightened concerns in Ottawa over similar tactics.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Canada\u2019s Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he expects the United States to respect Canada\u2019s sovereignty following reports that Alberta separatist leaders have held multiple meetings with officials linked to President Donald Trump administration. The Financial Times reported that officials from the U.S. State Department met several times with representatives of the Alberta Prosperity Project […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1,"featured_media":942,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=940"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/940\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":944,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/940\/revisions\/944"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}