US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent commented Thursday, January 22, 2026, on the separatist movement in Alberta, saying “I think we should let them come down into the US, and Alberta’s a natural partner for the US.”
Bessent falsely claimed the federal government would not allow Alberta to build a pipeline to the Pacific coast.
“They have great resources. The Albertans are very independent people,”adding there’s a “rumour that they may have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not.”
When asked if he knew something about it, Bessent said, “People are talking. People want sovereignty. They want what the US has got.”
Sources:
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press: ‘We should let them come down into the US’: Bessent weighs in on Alberta separatism https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/we-should-let-them-come-down-into-the-us-bessent-weighs-in-on-alberta-separatism/
Leanne Sanders, APTN: First Nations in Alberta sounding alarm over foreign interference, MAGA support of province becoming 51st state https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/first-nations-in-alberta-sounding-alarm-over-foreign-interference-maga-support-of-province-becoming-51st-state/