A reported meeting between individuals in the Alberta separatist movement and White House officials amounts to "treason," British Columbia Premier David Eby said Thursday in Ottawa.
Eby, citing a report in The Financial Times, told reporters before the first ministers' meeting on Thursday that it's completely inappropriate for a group to ask a foreign power for help in breaking up Canada.
"Now, I understand the desire to hold a referendum, to talk about the issues we want to talk about in Canada," Eby said.
"But to go to a foreign country and to ask for assistance in breaking up Canada, there's an old-fashioned word for that. And that word is treason."
The Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the talks, reports that leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project have met three times with U.S. State Department officials in Washington since April.
When asked if department officials met with representatives of the Alberta Prosperity Project, a U.S. State Department official speaking on background said in an email that the department meets regularly with "civil society types."
"As is typical in routine meetings such as these, no commitments were made," the official wrote.
Eby said news of the meeting is especially alarming because U.S. President Donald Trump is "not particularly respectful to Canada's sovereignty."
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said she believes Albertans ultimately will choose to remain in Canada.
"I think you're talking about a minority of people who are agitating, and I am very optimistic that the majority of Albertans will demonstrate their love for this country and their desire to be a part of it in whatever comes next," Holt said when asked about Eby's comments Thursday.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called the reported meeting "unacceptable" and "unethical."
"We're one country and we should all be sticking together. We shouldn't have groups going around the federal government's back or the province's back to negotiate something with the U.S.," Ford said Thursday while entering the meeting with Carney and the other premiers.
"We all know where President Trump stands. He wants Canada, and that's not going to happen. We'll fight with every tool we have."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said recently Alberta would be a "natural partner" for the U.S., pointing to the province's resource wealth and desire to build a new pipeline to the West Coast.
"I think we should let them come down into the U.S., and Alberta's a natural partner for the U.S.," Bessent told right-wing TV station Real America's Voice on Jan. 23.
The Alberta independence movement is collecting signatures in an attempt to initiate a referendum on whether Alberta should separate from Canada.
Mitch Sylvestre, who is spearheading the petition for a referendum, said Jan. 23 he doesn't think anyone in his movement wants to join the U.S.
Some organizers of the Alberta independence movement have claimed they have had meetings with members of the Trump administration, although they have not disclosed any names. Their message has started to spread among MAGA influencers online, and among Republicans broadly.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2026.
— With files from Kelly Malone in Washington
