An Alberta separatist group says it has been holding “very high level” meetings with U.S. officials linked to President Donald Trump’s administration — but refuses to name who exactly is involved, triggering sharp political backlash across Canada.
In an interview on CTV’s Question Period, Alberta Prosperity Project legal counsel Jeffrey Rath confirmed the group has met U.S. officials over the past year but cited confidentiality agreements as the reason for withholding identities.
Asked whether Canadians would recognize the officials, Rath replied “probably,” while declining to confirm whether Stephen Miller was among them. He did, however, clarify that Donald Trump himself was not involved.
The controversy escalated after a Financial Times report claimed the group was exploring a potential $500-billion credit facility with U.S. officials and financial institutions in the event Alberta votes for independence. Rath later dismissed the report as “fake news,” acknowledging meetings with U.S. State Department officials but denying that any agreements or funding requests were made.
The issue dominated discussions at the first ministers’ meeting in Ottawa, where B.C. Premier David Eby labeled the group’s actions “treason.” U.S. officials, speaking on background, told CTV News that meetings with civil society groups are routine and that “no commitments were made.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney avoided directly calling the situation foreign interference but stressed he expects the U.S. to respect Canadian sovereignty.
Defending the meetings, Rath said the Alberta Prosperity Project is not seeking U.S. money but is instead studying access to credit should Ottawa restrict provincial funds after a hypothetical declaration of independence.
“The entire world runs on credit,” Rath said, adding that “nobody is independent in the modern world.”
Fuel was added to the fire after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Alberta as a “natural partner” for the United States and suggested the province should expand oil shipments south of the border — remarks Rath says validate the group’s outreach.
As Alberta separatists work to collect 178,000 signatures to trigger a referendum, the episode underscores rising tensions around sovereignty, foreign influence, and Canada–U.S. relations at a particularly fragile moment.
