Senior officials in the Trump administration held multiple meetings in Washington with leaders of a Canadian separatist group seeking to split Alberta from the rest of Canada, according to the Financial Times, injecting new friction into already strained U.S.-Canada relations. The contacts involved representatives of the Alberta Prosperity Project, which advocates independence for the oil-rich western province, and occurred at least three times since last April, the report said.
The meetings come as President Donald Trump's trade, defense and foreign-policy moves have unsettled Ottawa, while Canadian separatists attempt to leverage cross-border tensions to advance their cause. During a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned of a "rupture" in the world order, remarks widely viewed as a rebuke of Trump's policies even though he did not name the president.
Jeff Rath, legal counsel for the Alberta Prosperity Project, described the Washington outreach in expansive terms. "The U.S. is extremely enthusiastic about a free and independent Alberta," Rath told the Financial Times. He added, "We're meeting very, very senior people leaving our meetings to go directly to the Oval Office."
The group plans to return to Washington next month to seek a $500 billion credit facility that would help fund Alberta if an independence referendum succeeds, though no referendum has yet been called. U.S. officials pushed back on suggestions of support. "Administration officials meet with a number of civil society groups. No such support, or any other commitments, was conveyed," a White House spokesperson said.
People familiar with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's views told the Financial Times that his team was unaware of any credit request and did not intend to engage on it. Still, Bessent's recent public comments energized separatists. In an interview with Real America's Voice, he called Alberta "a natural partner for the U.S." and said, "The Albertans are very independent people," adding, "[There is a] rumor that they may have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not."
Canadian critics said the outreach risked inflaming domestic divisions. Carlo Dade of the Canada West Foundation labeled the separatists "attention seekers," adding, "The Americans are more than happy to continue to play Canadians off each other." Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, told the Financial Times there is "evidence of foreign interference" in signature-gathering and said, "It doesn't feel organic, we are being targeted by the MAGA crowd."
The Alberta Prosperity Project is racing to collect 177,732 eligible signatures by May to force the issue before the provincial legislature, though it declined to disclose its current total. A spokesperson for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said, "The overwhelming majority of Albertans are not interested in becoming a U.S. state," while a counter-petition opposing independence garnered 438,568 signatures last year.
The separatist talks intersect with broader bilateral strains. Trump has threatened a 100% tariff on Canadian imports if Ottawa proceeds with certain trade moves, repeatedly suggested Canada become the 51st U.S. state, and floated altering long-standing defense arrangements. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra warned that if Canada reduces its planned purchase of 88 Lockheed Martin F-35s, the U.S. would "fill those gaps," potentially requiring changes to the North American Aerospace Defense Command framework.
Against that backdrop, Carney in Davos argued the Western "rules-based order" was fracturing, urging smaller nations to reconsider a system he said was partly built on "convenient lies," as Washington's engagement with Alberta separatists adds another layer of unease to the relationship.
