A group of Albertans, including two former MPs, is planning a delegation to Washington this year to gauge U.S. support for the province’s independence, which they say could lead to the possibility of joining the United States.
The co-founders of the Alberta Prosperity Project, a sovereignty advocacy group, along with other Alberta residents, have launched an initiative to send a delegation to Washington, aiming to highlight “the desire of Albertans to leave Canada” and their wish to “strengthen” the province’s ties with the United States.
At a March 26 press conference in Calgary, the group announced the proposed delegation will include Alberta lawyer Jeffrey Rath, former Conservative MPs Rob Anders and LaVar Payne, businessmen Mitch Sylvestre and Scott Bowes, and Dr. Dennis Modry.
Rath, who is set to lead the delegation, said the date has yet to be confirmed and declined to disclose which U.S. officials they may meet with, citing confidentiality.
“A delegation of Alberta Citizens has formed, committed to a successful INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM to create an Independent Commonwealth of Alberta prior to December 15th, 2025,” reads a March 25
press release published by Rath.
“The Alberta Independence Delegation to Washington is in the process of confirming dates for meetings with the Trump Administration on a fact-finding basis to determine the level of support from the Trump Administration for Alberta Self-Determination.”
Independence Referendum
The delegation’s primary goal is to assess whether the United States would support an independence referendum in Alberta, Rath said at the March 26 press conference, adding that the question of whether the province would remain independent or join the United States would be addressed later.“Everybody within the independence movement understands that the first step towards anything is get independence from Canada,” Rath said.
“We are talking about getting support from the United States of America for an Alberta independence referendum this year, and for a ‘yes’ vote in that referendum, with a future eye towards either U.S. territorial status or U.S. statehood, if that’s what the people of Alberta want.”
U.S. support for a referendum would include identification of marketing resources and electoral support resources for the process, the group said.
The Alberta Prosperity Project was created in 2020 with the stated
goal of empowering “the Alberta government to restructure Alberta’s relationship with Canada by educating and mobilizing public support for Alberta Sovereignty.”
Delegation members say they plan to request Premier Danielle Smith pass an “Alberta Independence Referendum Act,” a bill they say would call for a referendum this year and require one after each subsequent federal election.
The group says a chief reason for the province’s independence is Ottawa’s “anti-Alberta energy policies,” which they say have “actively thwarted many attempts by Alberta to transport and sell its petroleum products internationally.”
They argue that if the province became independent, it could achieve fiscal self-sufficiency largely due to its energy resources.
The group envisions Alberta as a jurisdiction with stronger economic ties to the United States and a constitution similar to that of Texas. They propose a constitutional requirement for a flat income tax no higher than 10 percent, along with a similar cap on corporate taxes.
The group suggests that if the province separated from Canada, it would no longer be subject to federal policies like
equalization payments, and residents would be exempt from expenses like the federal income tax, the carbon tax, or the capital gains tax, as well as measures such as “federal gun grabs,” likely referring to the federal firearms
ban.
‘51st State’
The vast majority of Canadians oppose the idea of joining the United States, following
repeated comments by President Donald Trump that Canada should become America’s 51st state.
A January
survey by the Angus Reid Institute found that 90 percent of Canadians opposed the idea of joining the United States, saying they would vote “no” in a referendum. Support for the idea was highest in Alberta, where 18 percent of respondents said they would vote “yes.” The survey polled 1,653 Canadians.
Trump has
said that if Canada became part of the United States, the country would “save massively on taxes and military protection.” He has also previously
said he would consider using “economic force” to merge Canada with his country.
Canadian leaders have firmly rejected Trump’s proposals to absorb Canada, reaffirming their commitment to defend the country’s sovereignty.
Trump’s 51st state comments, along with current trade tensions, are a main focus in the ongoing federal election campaign, with both Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Mark
Carney and Conservative Opposition Leader Pierre
Poilievre saying Canada will defend its sovereignty.
Premier Smith has also rejected Trump’s proposal to make Canada the 51st state,
saying that, along with tariffs, it has strained U.S.–Canada relations.
When asked during a Feb. 24
press conference about her views on Alberta becoming the 51st U.S. state, Smith said she had seen “no enthusiasm for that notion,” and that she has instead seen a rise in Canadian patriotism in response to U.S. threats.
In one of the latest clashes with Ottawa this month, Smith
provided a list of demands to the prime minister on March 20, warning that failure to address them could lead to an “unprecedented national unity crisis.”
Supporters of the Washington delegation say that Smith’s recent demands to Ottawa “has all but guaranteed an independence Referendum to be held in Alberta this Calendar year,” according to their March 25 press release.
The premier later said that if Canada’s next government does not address Alberta’s demands, she would consider creating a panel to poll Albertans on how they want the province to respond.
