Carney Calls on White House to Respect Canadian Sovereignty Over Alberta

By Paul Vieira

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called on the Trump administration to respect his country's sovereignty after a group advocating for Alberta's secession from Canada said it has met with State Department officials about the province's future.

Last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent weighed on the province's political future, saying he was aware of a bid by some citizens to hold a referendum on independence and added that the oil-rich western Canadian province would be "a natural partner" for the U.S.

The future of Alberta marks the latest source of tension between Washington and Ottawa, triggered this month by Carney's trade pact with China, America's greatest rival; and a speech he delivered that marked a call-to-arms among smaller powers to collectively counter economic coercion from global hegemons keen to use their economic and military might to achieve policy goals.

"We expect the U.S. administration to respect Canadian sovereignty," Carney said Thursday, alongside the country's 10 provincial premiers, including Alberta's Danielle Smith. "I'm always clear in my conversation with President Trump to that effect."

A State Department official said the department meets regularly with civil-society groups, without confirming specific conversations with members of the Stay Free Alberta group. "As is typical in routine meetings such as these, no commitments were made," the official said, without providing further details.

Jeffrey Rath, legal counsel for the Stay Free Alberta movement, said his takeaway from the State Department is that the Trump administration "is very, very enthusiastic about the prospect of a free and independent Alberta." He said the talks with State Department officials have focused on "what a new relationship could look like."

Bessent said last week that Alberta's previous efforts to build a new oil-carrying pipeline to the Pacific Coast have faced opposition from Canadian officials, and suggested the province should consider building that pipeline through the U.S.

"Albertans are very independent people," Bessent told the Real America's Voice media outlet. "People want sovereignty. They want what the U.S. has got."

Rath said he interpreted Bessent's remarks as "to be tacitly in favor of Alberta independence, even though it wasn't clearly stated in that manner--but, certainly, 'wink, wink, nudge, nudge.'"

Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 29, 2026 15:07 ET (20:07 GMT)