Canadian Premiers Clash After Alberta Separatists Meet U.S. Officials

British Columbia Premier David Eby said on Thursday that meetings between Alberta separatists and U.S. government officials amounted to "treason," commenting in Ottawa after a Financial Times report disclosed the contacts.

The Financial Times reported that leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project met with U.S. State Department officials in Washington three times since April to conduct a feasibility study on a possible $500 billion line of credit, according to the report and co-founder Jeffrey Rath.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in Ottawa that he expects the U.S. administration to respect Canadian sovereignty, while a White House official told the BBC and CNN that "no support or commitments were conveyed," and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made supportive remarks on a broadcast, according to those outlets.

The Alberta government approved a petition in early January allowing activists until May to collect 178,000 signatures to trigger a referendum, and an Ipsos poll showed about 28% of Albertans would vote "yes," officials and the poll indicate.

Jeffrey Rath said the Alberta Prosperity Project plans another trip to Washington next month to continue its feasibility work, a move that provincial leaders and Indigenous representatives said raises concerns about potential foreign interference, according to Rath and provincial statements.