FT: Trump officials meet group wanting Alberta to leave Canada

The Trump administration has held covert meetings with fringe separatists from Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta as relations between Washington and Ottawa deteriorate.

Leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), a far-right group campaigning for Alberta’s independence, met US State Department officials in Washington three times since April last year, Caliber.Az reports, citing Financial Times.

They are reportedly seeking a further meeting next month with state and Treasury officials to request a $500 billion credit facility to support the province if an independence referendum is called.

“The US is extremely enthusiastic about a free and independent Alberta,” Jeff Rath, APP legal counsel who attended the meetings, told the Financial Times. He added he had a “much stronger relationship” with the Trump administration than Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

A State Department spokesperson said, “The department regularly meets with civil society types. As is typical in routine meetings such as these, no commitments were made.” A White House official added, “Administration officials meet with a number of civil society groups. No such support, or any other commitments, was conveyed.”

Neither Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent nor senior Treasury officials were aware of the credit facility proposal and have no plans to engage on the issue, according to a person familiar with Bessent’s thinking.

The discussions come amid a growing rift between the US and Canada. Last week, President Donald Trump and Carney clashed after the Canadian premier suggested Washington was creating a “rupture” in the world order.

Experts say the Trump administration is unlikely to provide material support to Alberta’s separatist movement, but the contacts highlight tensions with Ottawa. Carlo Dade from the Canada West Foundation, a Calgary-based conservative think-tank, described the separatist leaders as “attention seekers”. He added: “The Americans are more than happy to continue to play Canadians off each other.”

Bessent recently described Alberta — the largest source of foreign oil to the US — as “a natural partner for the US.” Speaking to right-wing podcaster Jack Posobiec, he said: “The Albertans are very independent people. [There is a] rumour that they may have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not.”

A person familiar with Bessent’s thinking said he neither supports nor opposes Alberta’s independence but views Carney as pursuing a personal agenda to the province’s detriment. The official added that Alberta could strengthen ties with the US while remaining a Canadian province.

Alberta’s premier, Danielle Smith, who last year lowered the threshold for a referendum, opposes independence. Her spokesperson said: “The overwhelming majority of Albertans are not interested in becoming a US state.” The counter-petition campaign, Alberta Forever Canada, received 438,568 signatures by its December deadline.

Ipsos polling last week found roughly three in 10 residents of both Alberta and Quebec would vote to separate from Canada, though Alberta’s independence movement has historically gained little traction.

The APP, which has adopted themes similar to the UK’s Brexit campaign, claims Ottawa has wasted billions in oil revenue and promotes conspiracies around Chinese influence, Christian persecution, and the “globalists” agenda. Rath said the group had also met officials from Quebec’s separatist movement, which previously lost independence referendums in 1980 and 1995.

Concerns are mounting over potential foreign interference. Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, said: “We’re seeing evidence of foreign interference… It doesn’t feel organic, we are being targeted by the Maga crowd.”

A spokesperson for Canada-US trade minister Dominic LeBlanc said: “Alberta is an essential partner in our federation. [The] government is engaged in renewing the Canada-Alberta relationship based on common objectives and respect for each other’s jurisdiction.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev