Canada’s Carney tells America to respect sovereignty after secret meeting with Alberta separatists: Where US stands

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday said that he anticipates the United States to “respect Canadian sovereignty", following reports that State Department officials had met with separatists from Alberta, the oil-rich western province.

A group called the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) has been granted permission to gather signatures for a referendum aimed at making the western province an independent country. An independence vote could take place as early as this fall, though current polls suggest the separatists would be unlikely to succeed, according to an AFP report.

The Financial Times reported that leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project have met with US State Department officials in Washington on three occasions since April. The report came after remarks made last week by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, which appeared to signal support for Alberta’s push for independence.

“Alberta has a wealth of natural resources, but they [the Canadian government] won’t let them build a pipeline to the Pacific. I think we should let them come down into the US,” Bessent mentioned in the interview, adding, “There’s a rumour they may have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not.”

When asked whether he had any insight into the separatist push, Bessent replied, “People are talking. People want sovereignty. They want what the US has got.”

Responding to the Financial Times report and Bessent’s remarks, Carney stated, “I expect the US administration to respect Canadian sovereignty.”

Addressing questions about the Alberta meetings, a senior State Department official informed AFP, “The Department regularly meets with civil society types. As is typical in routine meetings such as these, no commitments were made.”

Carney said Trump had not raised the issue of Alberta’s independence or the separatist movement in Quebec, the country’s French-speaking province.

Alberta’s push for independence has not historically posed a serious challenge to Canada’s unity unlike Quebec’s long-established and organised separatist movement. However, frustration with Ottawa grew in the province during former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s decade in office.

Many Albertans viewed Trudeau’s climate-focused policies as harmful to the oil industry that underpins their economy, accusing his government of blocking key infrastructure projects sought by energy companies.

Meanwhile, Smith on Thursday stated that she “would expect that the US administration would respect Canadian sovereignty,” adding that she would raise any concerns about interference in a referendum directly with Washington. She reiterated her support for a “sovereign Alberta, within a united Canada,” while blaming Trudeau for deepening discontent in the province.

“For 10 years under Justin Trudeau's government, our province was relentlessly attacked, our economy was relentlessly attacked,” she said.

Smith has suggested that Carney’s willingness to move forward with a new oil pipeline to the Pacific coast could help curb support for independence.