US State Department officials reportedly met with the leaders of a Canadian separatist group three times since last April. The Alberta Prosperity Project (AAP), a fringe separatist group, has been pushing for Canada’s oil-rich Alberta state to secede from Canada, according to a report by The Financial Times.
Canadian leader Mark Carney urged Trump to "respect Canadian sovereignty" this week after David Eby, the premier of British Columbia, accused the Alberta separatist group of treason for meeting with the trump administration.
A White House official downplayed the meeting to CNN and said, “Administration officials meet with several civil society groups. No support or commitments were conveyed.”
Who are the Alberta Prosperity Project?
The AAP is an outfit based in the Canadian state of Alberta, a western province with a population of 5 million people. The state had a vast oil reserve, making it crucial for Canada’s energy sector, and it has been dubbed the “energy province”.
The province is also crossed by the Rocky Mountain range and tourist destinations including the Banff and lake lours.
The state is also considered a bastion for conservative politics, except Calgary and Edmonton, which are more progressive.
According to their website AAP are an “ t is an educational initiative focused on garnering support for a future where Alberta determines its destiny, ensuring prosperity and freedom for future generations. “
The group claims that they have no political leaning and work solely for the benefit of the people in the state.
The AAP separatists say that their interests are not well represented in Ottawa and argue that the federal government's effort to stop climate change is holding back the states’ oil industry.
They also say that they pay more than what they get back through federal taxes and that their values are drowned out by more liberal and populous eastern provinces.
According to a post on X by one of its leaders, the AAP is reportedly planning to ask US Treasury officials for about a $500 billion line of credit to “support the transition to a free and independent Alberta.”
The Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is also an Albertan and was raised in Edmonton, which has had an independence movement for a decade.
The meetings between the US officials and Alberta separatists have sparked concern in Ottawa regarding Washington's involvement in Canada's politics.
Trump has repeatedly threatened that he would make Canada the 51st state of the United States.
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent described Alberta as “a natural partner for the US” and praised the province’s resource wealth and “independent” character during an interview with the right-wing broadcaster Real America’s Voice last week.
“Alberta has a wealth of natural resources, but they (the Canadian government) won’t let them build a pipeline to the Pacific,” he told the broadcaster. “I think we should let them come down into the US, he added.
In response to the comment, Jeffrey Rath, a leader of the APP, responded on X saying, "We look forward to meeting with US Treasury officials next month to discuss our feasibility study regarding a $500 billion USD line of credit to support the transition to a free and independent Alberta."
We look forward to meeting with US Treasury officials next month to discuss our feasibility study regarding a 500 Billion USD line of credit to support the transition to a free and independent Alberta. https://t.co/SsWmlwnPU6
— Jeffrey Rath (@JeffreyRWRath) January 23, 2026
A January survey by Pollara Strategic Insights found that just 19 per cent of Albertans said that they would support secession.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said that she won't demonise separatist Albertans due to their “legitimate grievances with Ottawa”. Smith has been pro-Trump and visited the Mar-a-Lago estate last year in January.
