‘We should let them come down into the U.S.’: Bessent weighs in on Alberta separatism

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has weighed in on Alberta’s separatist movement, becoming the highest-ranking member of the Trump administration to comment publicly on the province’s internal political debate.

Speaking Thursday on the right-wing television network Real America’s Voice, Bessent suggested Canada has blocked Alberta from building a pipeline to the Pacific coast and floated the idea of closer ties between Alberta and the United States.

“I think we should let them come down into the U.S., and Alberta’s a natural partner for the U.S.,” Bessent said. He praised the province’s resource base and described Albertans as “very independent people.”

Bessent also referenced growing discussion around Alberta’s political future, noting there is “a rumour that they may have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not.”

When asked whether he had inside knowledge of such a vote, Bessent replied, “People are talking. People want sovereignty. They want what the U.S. has got.”

The remarks come amid strained relations between Canada and the Trump administration. U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled trade talks with Canada in October after objecting to an Ontario-funded advertisement featuring former president Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs. Trump administration officials accused Canada of interfering in U.S. domestic politics.

A Trump administration official, speaking on background, told The Canadian Press that Bessent was responding to a question during an interview and said the situation was not comparable to a Canadian province using public funds to run what they described as political attack ads in the United States.

Asked to respond to Bessent’s comments, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the federal government continues to work closely with Alberta.

“We will do our own things, and we will be able to develop our resources with Albertans, with Canadians,” Champagne said in Quebec City, where Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet was meeting. He added that he would “remind” Bessent of that position the next time they meet.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith does not believe most Albertans are interested in becoming a U.S. state, according to her spokesperson Sam Blackett. In an emailed statement, Blackett said the premier “supports a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.”

He added that Alberta is seeking to expand pipeline capacity in all directions and will continue working with U.S. partners to access American markets.

Organizers behind Alberta’s independence movement have claimed to have met with members of the Trump administration, though no names have been publicly confirmed. The movement has gained some traction among MAGA-aligned influencers and Republican politicians.

Republican Congressman Andy Ogles of Tennessee said during a BBC panel earlier this week that Albertans would “prefer not to be a part of Canada and be a part of the United States because we are winning day in and day out.”

Meanwhile, organizers in Alberta stress that their push is focused on sovereignty, not U.S. statehood. The referendum petition currently being circulated would ask whether Alberta should become independent from Canada, not whether it should join the United States.

Mitch Sylvestre, who is leading the petition effort, said he does not believe members of the movement want Alberta to become part of the U.S.

“People want sovereignty, and that’s what people in the U.S. have — but we want sovereignty independent of the U.S.,” he said.

Sylvestre added that while Alberta and the United States are “natural partners” due to extensive trade ties, he would prefer American officials not comment publicly on Alberta’s internal political debates.

“Alberta on its own will do very well,” he said. “A free-trade agreement with the U.S. would probably be good for both sides — good for us, for sure.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2026.