Ottawa (Rajeev Sharma): British Columbia Premier David Eby on Wednesday strongly condemned reports that Alberta separatists have sought support from the United States, calling such actions an act of “treason” as Canada’s premiers gather with the prime minister in Ottawa.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Eby said appealing to a foreign government for help in breaking up Canada crosses a clear line. “To go to a foreign country and to ask for assistance in breaking up Canada — there’s an old-fashioned word for that, and that word is treason,” he said.
Eby was responding to reports that members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration have met with representatives of the Alberta Prosperity Project, a group advocating for Alberta’s independence. The organization has openly sought a proposed US$500-billion credit facility from the U.S. Treasury to help finance a new country if an independence referendum were to succeed.
“It is completely inappropriate to seek to weaken Canada by asking a foreign power for help,” Eby said, adding that the issue is especially concerning given what he described as a lack of respect for Canadian sovereignty from the current U.S. president. While he acknowledged Canadians’ right to express their views and participate in referendums, Eby said foreign involvement in separatist efforts is unacceptable.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford echoed those concerns ahead of the same meeting, urging Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to clearly reject such efforts. “Enough is enough,” Ford said, calling on Smith to firmly oppose any moves that could undermine national unity.
Smith has said she supports “a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” though critics note her government lowered the threshold last year for citizens to launch an independence referendum. Organizers of the Alberta independence movement have since been gathering signatures across the province, aiming to collect nearly 178,000 to trigger a vote.
The issue gained further attention last week when U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke positively about Alberta’s resources and independence sentiment in comments to a conservative media outlet. Republican Congressman Andy Ogles of Tennessee also suggested Albertans might prefer closer ties with the United States.
Despite the heightened rhetoric, recent polling indicates separatist support remains limited. A survey released earlier this month found that only about 20 per cent of respondents in Alberta would vote in favour of leaving Canada.
