Are Alberta separatists inadvertently helping Trump?
Posted January 20, 2026 11:44 am.
Last Updated January 20, 2026 11:50 am.
From Edmonton to Okotoks, and many places in between, there have been massive lineups to show support for Alberta independence.
Supporters of the “Stay Free Alberta” petition – to leave Canada and become an independent state – say they are already well on their way to their goal, which is 177,000 signatures by May 2.
“My understanding is we had well over 10,000 people go through the line in Edmonton this weekend,” said Jeff Rath, a lawyer for Mitch Sylvestre, the man behind the citizen petition. “We had 5,000 people in Okotoks. I mean, those are just the two events I was focused on. There were events all over the province.”
“You know what? It’s worth it,” one person told CityNews from the line in Edmonton over the weekend. “I’d rather stand in line for four hours than live under a Liberal government for five years. That’s facts. I don’t like the Liberals.”
On the other side of the argument is Thomas Lukaszuk’s “Forever Canadian” petition, which already has 400,000 verified signatures.
Lukaszuk believes Donald Trump and his allies are among those cheering on the Alberta separation movement.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants Canada to be the 51st state. The U.S. president more recently has set his sights on controlling Venezuela and taking over Greenland.
“This is a very dangerous game that separatists are playing and they’re really causing a major national security crisis,” Lukaszuk said. “Not just for Alberta, but for all of Canada, and I hope that sanity prevails and we put an end to it.”
Rath and others leading the independence petition say they met with U.S. government officials in Washington who were supportive of Alberta separation.
But Rath insists the Americans do not want to annex the province.
“It has nothing to do with taking over Alberta, it has nothing to do with Trump wanting to make Alberta the 51st state,” the lawyer said. “It has to do with the fact that Canada has basically become a communist country, controlled by communist China. And it’s very concerning to all of us. People in Alberta are concerned about it, the United States are concerned about it.”
But political scientist Duane Bratt believes the Trump administration does want to break Canada apart and gain control of Alberta’s oil reserves.
“If you believe Rath, and I have trouble believing Rath, but if you believe him when he says he’s lined up a $500 billion line of credit with the United States, what’s the collateral on that?” asked Bratt, the Mount Royal University political scientist. “Well, it’s the oil sands. How do you declare your independence of the United States if you’re relying on the United States?”
UCP and NDP MLAs have already approved money so Elections Alberta can prepare for a referendum vote this year. But it’s not clear which question will appear on ballots: the one to go or the one to stay.
Both Rath and Lukaszuk agree Premier Danielle Smith is likely to choose the question proposed by the separatists.
