U.S. officials met with Alberta separatists – report

Senior figures from a Canadian movement advocating the independence of Alberta have held multiple meetings with officials from the administration of US President Donald Trump, raising concerns among critics about possible foreign involvement in a domestic secession campaign.

According to the Financial Times, representatives of the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) met White House officials at least three times from April last year. US officials characterised the encounters as standard civic discussions and denied offering any backing for Alberta’s independence push. Supporters of Canadian unity, however, argue the campaign shows signs of ‘external amplification’.

The APP describes itself as a grassroots organisation promoting Alberta’s separation from Canada, opposing globalism, and seeking greater provincial sovereignty. It is currently collecting signatures to trigger a referendum on independence, with election authorities requiring at least 177,732 valid signatures by May for the proposal to proceed.

APP legal adviser Jeff Rath told the FT that US officials were highly supportive of the idea of an independent Alberta, though the group declined to identify who it met, describing them only as senior-level figures. The issue has also surfaced publicly, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously suggesting an independent Alberta could become a “natural partner” for the United States.

The revelations come amid heightened strain in US–Canada relations, after Trump floated the idea that Canada would benefit from closer integration with the US and accused Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government of undue influence from China, further fuelling political sensitivities on both sides of the border.