Carney Urges Us Not To Meddle In Alberta Independence Movement

Mark Carney says he expects the Trump administration to butt out of Alberta independence talk.

But the Canadian prime minister stopped short of calling homegrown Alberta independence efforts — or organizers’ attempts to enlist U.S. government backing — treasonous, responding to reports that the movement has met with Washington officials.

“We expect the U.S. administration to respect Canadian sovereignty,” Carney told reporters in Ottawa on Thursday, stressing a message of unity alongside Canada’s premiers. “I’m always clear in my conversation with President Trump to that effect, and then move on to what we can do together.”

Carney said talk about separatist movements in Alberta or Quebec has not come up in his talks with Donald Trump. Accusations of foreign interference between the U.S. and Canada have seeped into trade talks, as the two countries strive to settle disputes over Trump’s tariffs.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago before his inauguration, has been challenged by her provincial counterparts to denounce separatism as an ongoing trade war strains the bilateral relationship.

“I would expect that the U.S. administration would respect Canadian sovereignty, and that they would confine their discussion about Alberta's democratic process to Albertans and to Canadians,” Smith told reporters in Ottawa, where premiers have been meeting with Carney.

Smith, who said she has always advocated for a “strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” blamed former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for “relentlessly” attacking her province during his decade in power. She alluded to Trudeau-era progressive policies that she said stigmatized the province's oil-based economy for fueling Albertans’ “legitimate grievances.”

Jeffrey Rath, co-founder of the Alberta Prosperity Project, told POLITICO the group plans to send its fourth delegation to Washington next month to meet officials at the U.S. Department of State. The grassroots separatist movement said it is seeking a $500-billion loan from the U.S. government to support its bid to leave Canada.

Rath said the group has met “very senior level” U.S. officials, including in the State Department, and teased “it’s possible” Treasury officials will join future meetings.

Trump’s Treasury secretary told a Conservative podcaster last week that “Alberta is a natural partner for the U.S.”

Rath said he’s delighted the Trump adviser weighed in. “We were thrilled with Scott Bessent’s comments,” said Rath. “Everything he said has been consistent with our meetings with U.S. State Department officials.”

While the White House has been aggressive with its threats to annex Canada, officials have been cautious and more muted about reported meddling in Alberta.

“Administration officials meet with a number of civil society groups,” said one White House official when POLITICO asked it to confirm any meetings with Alberta Prosperity Project representatives. “No support or commitments were conveyed.”

Alberta Prosperity Project, a grassroots separatist movement, began collecting signatures this month, asking electors in the province a yes-or-no question: “Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?”

Recent polling by Ipsos suggests the level of support for Alberta independence (28 percent) nearly matches support for Quebec sovereignty (31 percent) — but “actual committed support” cuts in half when respondents were asked to consider the economic, social and psychological costs of separatism.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said Thursday that the separatists’ reported meetings to court U.S. government funding amount to treason.

He swiped at Trump, noting the president doesn’t have a strong record of being “particularly respectful of Canada’s sovereignty.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford echoed Eby’s sentiments. He said any group turning its back on Canada to negotiate with Americans crosses a red line.

“We all know where President Trump stands. He wants Canada, and that's not going to happen. We'll fight with every tool we have.”

In Alberta, the Citizen Initiative Act allows eligible voters to advance legislative or policy proposals to the province’s legislative assembly — or force the government to conduct a constitutional referendum.

For the petition to be deemed successful, Elections Alberta says signatures must be collected from “at least 20 percent of the total number of electors on the post-election day list of electors.”

The Alberta Prosperity Project has a 90-day window to collect 178,000 signatures by May 2.

The topic of separatism in the province where Carney grew up has made the prime minister verklempt behind closed doors, as previously reported by POLITICO.

Foreign interference has been a hot topic in recent years in Canada, with Canadian intelligence pointing to China and India as prominent perpetrators of clandestine activity. Concerns about foreign interference sparked a public inquiry.

Trump torpedoed bilateral trade talks in October, accusing Canadians of foreign meddling after the province of Ontario enlisted the voice of Ronald Reagan in a C$75-million anti-tariff ad campaign. The ads aired on major U.S. networks during Major League Baseball playoffs.

Mickey Djuric contributed to this report from Ottawa and Megan Messerly contributed from Washington.