'Respect Canada's Sovereignty'
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Trump administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with far-right Canadian separatists who want to break free from the rest of the country.
U.S. officials met with leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project, a fringe right-wing group of separatists who want the oil-rich western province to become independent, three times in Washington since last April, sources told the Financial Times.
News of the stealthy meetings comes at a time of especially high tensions between the U.S. and its northern neighbor. During a speech in Davos at the World Economic Forum, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke of a “rupture” in the world order, in what appeared to be a veiled attack on the trade and foreign policies of President Donald Trump – but without mentioning him by name.
Current tensions have only helped the separatists, who are trying to capitalize on the friction, according to the report.
“The U.S. is extremely enthusiastic about a free and independent Alberta,” the group’s legal counsel, Jeff Rath, told the FT after attending the meetings.
“We’re meeting very, very senior people leaving our meetings to go directly to the Oval Office,” he claimed.
The group hopes to have another meeting in Washington next month to ask for a $500 billion credit facility, which would help fund the province if an independence referendum passes. However, a referendum has not yet been called.
Both the White House and State Department told the FT that no commitments were made to the group during these meetings.
“Administration officials meet with a number of civil society groups. No such support, or any other commitments, was conveyed,” a White House spokesperson said.
A person familiar with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s thinking told the outlet that he and his team were unaware of any credit facility request, and did not plan to engage on the issue.
Carlo Dade, Director of International Policy at the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, reportedly described the separatist group as “attention seekers.”
“The Americans are more than happy to continue to play Canadians off each other,” Dade said.
News of the meetings comes after Bessent sparked excitement amongst Alberta separatists last week when he described the oil-rich province as “a natural partner for the U.S.” during an interview with right-wing streaming channel Real America’s Voice.