Jeff Rath serves as legal counsel for the Alberta Prosperity Project and has sat across from State Department officials in Washington three times since April.
The group seeks Alberta’s secession from Canada via referendum and the separatists requested a $500 billion credit facility from the U.S. Treasury to finance their independence drive. Rath portrayed the American interlocutors as highly enthusiastic about a free and independent Alberta.
The State Department confirmed the meetings but stressed that no commitments resulted from the discussions. British Columbia Premier David Eby branded the Alberta delegation’s foreign outreach an act of treason, while Prime Minister Mark Carney declared he expects the United States to respect Canadian sovereignty.
A Hunger for Resources Is Driving Territorial Plans
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Alberta as a natural partner for America while praising the province’s abundant wealth and fiercely independent spirit. Bessent complained that federal oversight in Ottawa is blocking Alberta’s natural route to the Pacific.
Alberta produced eighty-five percent of Canada’s oil in 2023, and the region holds 1.4 billion cubic metres of unconventional oil in its oil sands.
Energy accounts for one-quarter of Canada’s international exports. American officials have long coveted these reserves; at the 1973 peak of foreign ownership, U.S. companies controlled over ninety percent of production firms.
The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion opened new offshore export routes in 2024, and Washington appears eager to secure direct access to those flows through a federal bypass.
Economic Leverage is a Substitute for Formal Annexation
Washington refrains from overt territorial claims while pursuing functional control that remains strategically unofficial. Bessent highlighted Alberta’s vast natural resources, and the State Department insisted it routinely engages with civil society groups.
Officials added that no commitments were made during the separatist meetings, and Treasury sources told media that neither Bessent nor other Treasury officials were aware of any credit facility proposals.
These denials carry little weight amid ongoing active engagement, as the separatists reported meeting very senior figures who proceeded directly to the Oval Office after sessions.
A January 2025 poll found eighteen percent of Alberta respondents supported the annexation proposal, marking the highest provincial support level to date. A subsequent survey showed seven in ten Alberta residents would vote to remain with Canada.
The Alberta Prosperity Project aims to collect 177,000 signatures to bring an independence petition before the legislature by May, while the Alberta Forever Canada counter-petition collected 438,568 signatures in 2024.
The Routines of History Across Borders
American designs on Canada recurred periodically throughout the nineteenth century, with annexation efforts including the Fenian raids between 1866 and 1871.
Fear of annexation helped spur Canadian Confederation in 1867. Congressman Nathaniel Banks introduced a bill calling for the annexation of British North America in 1866, and British officials grew alarmed, having resisted a unified Canada lest it forge closer ties with its republican neighbor.
Secretary of State James Blaine stated bluntly in the 1890s that the United States wanted no dealings with Canada except through tariffs, predicting Canada would ultimately seek admission to the Union.
The current situation differs markedly because designs on Canadian sovereignty have been voiced openly by the president himself, elevating tensions beyond previous diplomatic friction.
Paradiplomacy Erodes Alliance Foundations
The United States-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement faces renegotiation in 2026, and trade representative Jamieson Greer vowed to revise or exit the accord.
Carney stated that the old bond – rooted in expanding economic integration and tight security cooperation – is over, and a new alliance must prioritize a sovereignty-first approach with Washington.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expects American officials to limit discussions about Alberta’s democratic processes to Albertans and Canadians, though that expectation seems increasingly naive given documented federal interference.
Resource extraction concerns now dominate American foreign policy more than alliance preservation, so Alberta’s oil reserves serve as the prize and sovereignty becomes a negotiable asset in the pursuit of pipeline access.
Keep up with Daily Euro Times for more updates!
Read also:
Water Wars: American Corporations Buying Up Canada’s Water
Washington Challenges the Sovereignty of Smaller Partners
NATO: Ottawa’s Pivot to Europe
