Inside the Right-Wing Movement Pushing Alberta to Secede From Canada


Trump officials have repeatedly met with secessionist leaders from the province, which has large oil and gas deposits.

By Nora Loreto , 

Truthout

PublishedFebruary 9, 2026

A member of the public wears a "Make Alberta Great Again" hat during the Help Us Make Sovereignty for Alberta Happen event organized by the Alberta Prosperity Project in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, on March 16, 2025.

Artur Widak / NurPhoto via Getty Images


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Aseparation movement in the Canadian province of Alberta claims to be gaining steam, and its leaders say they now have a meeting booked with U.S. Treasury Department officials. They will be asking for a line of credit worth $500 billion in U.S. currency to help transition Alberta from a Canadian province into a U.S. state.

Led by businessman Mitch Sylvestre, the Alberta Prosperity Project has launched a petition through a campaign called Stay Free Alberta to build support for a referendum to separate from Canada. The group has no official support from any of the elected parties in Alberta.

Behind its rallying cry of faith, family, and freedom, the Alberta Prosperity Project wants a new constitution for Albertans — one “that recognizes the Supremacy of God as foundational to Civil Society and the Rule of Law.”

Unlike in the province of Quebec, where separatist leaders hold elected office, Alberta’s separatist movement has no formal foothold in its province’s politics. Quebec, an overwhelmingly French-speaking province, is the only jurisdiction in Canada with a sizable sovereignty movement. That province had referenda in 1980 and 1995 that asked whether or not Quebecers wanted to separate from Canada, the latter narrowly failing. The separatist political party, Parti Québécois, is expected to form the next provincial government, and has promised a referendum in its first mandate.

Officially, the governing United Conservative Party of Alberta (UCP) is not advocating for sovereignty. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she wants Alberta to remain in Canada. However, the idea of sovereignty has been used by the UCP to try to push forward policies that the government of Alberta supports, especially related to oil and gas. On February 4, Smith issued a letter demanding that Alberta be given more say over judicial appointments. She also questioned why three judges of the nine on the nation’s Supreme Court came from Quebec (Quebec is governed under the Civil Code and not Common Law. As such, it has more representation at the Supreme Court for when Civil Code matters arise).


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Smith is using the sovereigntist movement to try to extract gains from Ottawa but is not formally supporting the movement. When pressed by journalists about members of her caucus having signed the pro-separation petition, Smith told the Canadian press that she doesn’t “police” members of her caucus and they’re free to sign whatever petitions they would like.

At the end of 2022, the UCP passed an act called the Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act. It allows the Alberta government to challenge federal laws that it believes are an overreach into provincial jurisdiction (though the Canadian Constitution already allows for this). The UCP has also lowered the threshold of signatures required to trigger a referendum and extended the period of time to collect signatures. The separatists would need to have almost 178,000 signatures by May for a referendum to go ahead. There are 5 million people who live in the province.

The separatists would need to have almost 178,000 signatures by May for a referendum to go ahead.

Jeremy Appel, author of a forthcoming book about Smith, says there has been a sovereignty movement in Alberta going back to when the province first joined Canada in 1905. From the beginning, the movement was mostly concerned with fighting to maintain provincial control over Alberta’s resources. Then, the federal government created the National Energy Program in the 1980s, which gave Ottawa more control over oil and gas in Alberta, to the chagrin of many Albertans.

Appel believes that the sovereignty movement has its roots in this history but projects its discontent on the ruling status quo. “Canada’s state institutions have been completely hollowed out by neoliberalism and Smith is responding to this wave of anger and discontent stemming from that by … displacing the causes onto ‘woke’ liberals in Ottawa and Montreal,” he explained.

Separatist sentiment rises when Liberal Party politicians are elected in Ottawa, and they tend to be calmed when Conservative Party politicians are in office, he added.

While polls show that popular support for sovereignty in Alberta is on the rise, there is also considerable opposition. Former Progressive Conservative provincial representative for Alberta, Thomas Lukaszuk, recently filed a petition to remain part of Canada. His petition collected 438,568 signatures and was submitted to the legislative assembly on December 1, 2025, one month before the deadline. If it meets the deadline with the required number of signatures, the question about separatism will be put to Albertans in a referendum.

Alberta Prosperity Project leaders have met with U.S. State Department officials at least three times.

The Financial Times reports that Alberta Prosperity Project leaders have met with U.S. State Department officials at least three times.

Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted to the news that Trump officials had met with the sovereignty activists, saying, “I expect the U.S. administration to respect Canadian sovereignty.”

Appel points to the fact that it isn’t just separation activists who are meeting with U.S. officials. Premier Danielle Smith travelled to Mar-a-Lago in January 2025, 10 days before Donald Trump’s inauguration. Smith’s current Chief of Staff Rob Anderson is a former member of the province’s legislative assembly and an Albertan separatist who has an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University in Utah. On social media, Anderson said the current movement to secede was triggered by Albertans’ hatred for former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

British Columbia Premier David Eby reacted to this news by saying this to CBC: “If you are crossing a border to seek the support of a foreign government to break up our country because you don’t have the support and the resources and the ability within our own country to advance that conversation, and you’re asking the Americans or any other government, I mean that is the definition of treason.”

Trump has consistently referred to Canada as the 51st state, and this group of separatist activists might give the president some of what he wants. With the U.S. administration already meddling in Venezuela over access to oil reserves, Alberta could serve a similar purpose for Trump, giving the United States access to another large deposit of oil and gas. Appel believes that this movement could easily serve as a toehold for the Trump administration to get into Canada.

Trump has consistently referred to Canada as the 51st state, and this group of separatist activists might give the president some of what he wants.

Canada and the United States have a deeply intertwined energy market. In 2023, 21 percent of all Canadian hydrocarbon exports went to the United States, worth some $163 billion in Canadian currency. Of the crude oil that the United States imported, nearly 60 percent came from Canada and almost 100 percent of the natural gas came from Canada.

Alberta produces around 84 percent of Canada’s crude oil. More than any other province, Alberta relies on the United States to purchase its oil.
First Nations leaders have been outspoken against the Alberta sovereignty movement. At a press conference, Trevor Mercredi, grand chief of Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta, said: “Our treaties are with the imperial crown, not with the province of Alberta. Alberta has never been party to the treaties and has no jurisdiction over our lands.”

“I’m calling on all international nations and communities to support the First Nations movement in Alberta, to tell the Alberta government that what they are doing is unconstitutional, and that the foreign interference has to stop,” said Chief Allan Adam from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.

This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), and you are free to share and republish under the terms of the license.

Nora Loreto is a writer and activist based in Quebec City. She is also the president of the Canadian Freelance Union.

ALBERTA PREMIER TOP SEPARATIST

Alberta Separatists Accused of ‘Treason’ After Secret Meetings With Trump Officials

“To go to a foreign country and to ask for assistance in breaking up Canada, there’s an old-fashioned word for that,” said one provincial premier.


British Columbia Premier David Evy gestures toward a Canadian flag while meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during a harbor tour on April 25, 2023 in Vancouver.
(Photo by Britta Pedersen/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Brett Wilkins
Jan 29, 2026

COMMON DREAMS

The leader of British Columbia on Thursday excoriated separatists in neighboring Alberta who met secretly on several occasions with officials from the administration of President Donald Trump, whose frequent talk of making Canada the “51st state” has tanked relations with the US’ northern neighbor.

The Financial Times reported Wednesday that leaders of the right-wing Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), who want the fossil fuel-rich province to become an independent nation, were welcomed for three meetings with Trump officials in Washington, DC since last April.

APP is reportedly seeking US assistance, including a $500 billion line of credit from the US Treasury Department to help bankroll an independent Alberta, if any potential independence referendum succeeds.

According to the CBC:
Organizers of the Alberta independence movement are collecting signatures in order to trigger a referendum in that province. The pro-independence campaign has been traveling across the province as organizers try to collect nearly 178,000 signatures over the next few months.

“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,” British Columbia Premier David Eby, who leads the center-left BC New Democratic Party, said in Ottawa.

“It is completely inappropriate to seek to weaken Canada, to go and ask for assistance, to break up this country from a foreign power and—with respect—a president who has not been particularly respectful of Canada’s sovereignty,” Eby continued.

“I think that while we can respect the right of any Canadian to express themselves to vote in a referendum, I think we need to draw the line at people seeking the assistance of foreign countries to break up this beautiful land of ours,” he added.

APP co-founder Dennis Modry told the Financial Times Wednesday that the separatist movement is “not treasonous.”

“What could be more noble than the pursuit of self-determination, the pursuit of your goals and aspirations, the pursuit of freedom and prosperity?” he asked.

Trump and some of his senior officials have repeatedly expressed their desire to annex Canada, despite polite but vehement Canadian rejection of such a union. Trump’s coveting of Canada comes amid his threats to acquire Greenland by any means necessary, his planning for a possible Panama Canal takeover, and his attacks on Venezuela, Iran, Nigeria, and other countries.

Last week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent poured more fuel on the fire by seemingly encouraging Albertan separatism.

“They have great resources. Albertans are a very independent people,” Bessent said during a media interview. “Rumor [is] that they may have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not... People are talking. People want sovereignty. They want what the US has got.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith of the province’s United Conservative Party said Thursday that she “supports a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” even as critics—including Indigenous leaders—accuse her of making it easier for a pro-independence petition to succeed last year.



Smith said the she expects US officials to “confine their discussion about Alberta’s democratic process to Albertans and to Canadians.”

With Trump administration watching, Canada oil hub faces separatist bid


By AFP
January 29, 2026


A view of the Horizon CNRL oil sands site in Fort McMurray in Canada's Alberta province, where an independence movement has been bubbling - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File Ian Willms

Ty Ferguson with Ben Simon in Toronto

On a frigid night in Canada’s oil capital, Jordan Fritz joined a rally of thousands for a separatist movement once considered a sideshow, but which is now drawing interest from US President Donald Trump’s administration.

“We need the Americans’ support,” said Fritz, a burly, bearded man with the flag of Alberta — western Canada’s oil-rich province — draped around his shoulders.

“We need pipelines here in Alberta. We need them to be built. We need them to flow oil, and if the Canadian government isn’t going to help us with that, I’m sure the Americans will,” Fritz told AFP at a Calgary roadhouse.

Unlike the decades-old, highly organized independence movement in French-speaking Quebec, Alberta’s fractious separatist camp has not previously threatened Canadian unity.

Western Canadian resentment of eastern political elites is not new, but political scientist Frederic Boily said the idea of an independent Alberta only began to crystallize around 2018.

Albertans broadly opposed then-prime minister Justin Trudeau, viewing his climate-conscious government as hostile to an oil and gas sector crucial to the local and Canadian economies.

“It was at first mainly an economic idea, about no longer paying for the rest of Canada,” Boily, a professor at the University of Alberta, said of Alberta’s independence movement.

Trudeau is gone, replaced by Prime Minister Mark Carney — an Albertan who has backed initiatives to support the oil industry, drawing scorn from environmental groups.

But despite those shifts, the province’s independence push is more prominent than ever and may secure the right to a referendum this year.

Elections Alberta has approved a citizens’ petition initiative from a group called the Alberta Prosperity Project.

If the group collects 178,000 signatures by May 2, they will be on track to secure an independence vote this fall.



– ‘Natural’ US partner –



Current polling indicates the separatists would lose. A January 23 Ipsos survey found just 28 percent of Albertans would vote to secede.

The possible significance of interventions from Washington remains unclear, but Boily said: “It’s certain that the agitation south of the border has an impact on what is happening in Alberta.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent offered veiled backing for Alberta’s independence last week.

“Alberta has a wealth of natural resources, but they won’t let them build a pipeline to the Pacific,” Bessent said.

“I think we should let them come down into the US, and Alberta is a natural partner for the US. They have great resources. The Albertans are very independent people.”

Reporters asked Carney on Thursday about Bessent’s comments and a Financial Times report that State Department officials had met with Alberta separatists multiple times.

“I expect the US administration to respect Canadian sovereignty,” Carney said.

In response to a question about the Alberta meetings, a senior State Department official told AFP Thursday: “The Department regularly meets with civil society types. As is typical in routine meetings such as these, no commitments were made.”



– All about oil –



Some at the roadhouse rally wore cowboy hats. Others, like Jesse Woodroof, had on baseball caps that said “Alberta Republic.”

Woodroof told AFP his ancestors arrived in what is now Canada “hundreds and hundreds of years” ago.

He voiced concern about “immigrants pouring into this country,” and implied that a sovereign Alberta would take a different approach.

Jennifer Wiebe — her daughter resting against her chest — said: “Alberta could be more prosperous and free on our own.”

While the views expressed may vary, conversations about Alberta independence typically circle back to oil.

Right-wing Premier Danielle Smith, an outspoken oil industry advocate who despised Trudeau’s leadership, has said she supports “Alberta sovereignty within a united Canada.”

Speaking on her weekend radio program, Smith implied the motivation for independence has diminished because Ottawa appears open to a new pipeline.

“I’m forging a new relationship with Canada. We’ve got a new leader, we’ve got a new prime minister… and we seem to have common cause on trying to get a new pipeline built,” she said.

The leader of the separatist Bloc Quebecois, Yves‑Francois Blanchet, drew smirks with his May critique of Alberta’s prospective independence.

“The first idea is to define oneself as a nation,” he said, adding nations need “a culture of their own.”

“I am not sure that oil and gas qualifies to define a culture.”

G7 protests hit Calgary with leaders far away


By AFP
June 15, 2025


A protester holds a sign during a demonstration in front of Calgary City Hall on June 15, 2025, as world leaders converge in Canada for the G7 Summit 

- Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP JUSTIN SULLIVAN

Alex PIGMAN

Hundreds of protesters supporting various causes assembled peacefully in downtown Calgary on Sunday as the Group of Seven summit began a long drive away in the mountain resort of Kananaskis.

In recent years, G7 protests have become tightly controlled affairs. Demonstrators are confined to designated spaces, often more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from where world leaders meet.

The 2025 edition is no different, with protesters voicing their anger in Alberta’s largest city.

Canadian officials promised a livestream of their messages to the isolated mountain town of Kananaskis where leaders of the seven industrialized nations are meeting.

The crisis in Gaza was a dominant theme for the crowd of about 500 gathered in front of Calgary’s main municipal building — one of several areas in the city designated as protest zones.

Police said no protesters were present at the other two local demonstration zones, including one near the Calgary airport where the leaders began arriving.

“I’m here because I’m an Indigenous person,” said Emrys Peacock, who came by bus from British Columbia’s Okanagan region.

“As an Indigenous person, I can’t ignore a fellow Indigenous nation being bombed, murdered and starved at the hands of an occupation, (something) my people have been through since colonization,” she added.

Dozens of other protesters also railed against Israel’s war campaign in Gaza, which was triggered by the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas.

Calgary student Terrence, who declined to give his last name, seemed surprised by the calm atmosphere.

“I’m a little underwhelmed. I thought there would be a lot more confrontation because last year’s Gaza protest was quite tense,” he said.


– Not a ’51st state’ –

Unsurprisingly, hostility toward US President Donald Trump emerged as another major theme, particularly regarding his suggestions that Canada should become America’s 51st state.

Calgary native Diane Houston carried a sign calling the US leader an “abomination” and a “sociopath.” She said she wanted “to make sure he’s under no illusion that Canadians want to be a 51st state.”

Tracy Osterland from nearby Canmore echoed this sentiment: “Trump is a wannabe dictator, and he definitely needs to be stopped. Enough of the 51st state stuff already. We’re not at all interested.”

Capturing the potpourri of themes at the protest, her double-sided poster had biting criticism of Trump on one side and a colorful welcome sign for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the other.

“I’m really hoping that they can do something for him,” she said of the Ukrainian leader, who will be attending the G7 summit along with other invitees.

Another attendee beyond the seven leaders of the industrialized countries is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched strikes on Pakistan last month after an attack on civilians in divided Kashmir.

The G7 leaders “are the world’s peacekeepers,” said Asif Nazir of the Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party.

“We give our message to Modi and all the G7 summit participants to come forward and solve this issue, as per the Kashmiris’ wishes,” he said.

Environmental concerns also featured prominently, with activists highlighting Canada’s vast freshwater resources.

Ila Dame from the group Protect Alberta’s Rockies and Headwaters suggested Trump’s interest in Canadian annexation stems from coveting resources.

“We have 20 percent of the world’s fresh water. Trump wants our water and our resources. It has nothing to do with wanting our people,” she said.

Despite being relegated far from the actual summit, most protesters took the strict rules surrounding the G7 in stride.

“I do think it would be more effective if we were closer, if we could actually get the attention of the people who attend the G7,” Peacock said.

“However, we will have an effect anywhere,” she added, not regretting her long ride to Calgary.

V0TE NO!

'Independent state?' Proposed referendum question approved on Alberta separation

Story by Jack Farrell




EDMONTON — Alberta's election agency announced Monday it has approved a proposed referendum question on the province separating from Canada.

The question seeks a yes or no answer to: "Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?"

Elections Alberta said the proponents — the Alberta Prosperity Project and its chief executive officer, Mitch Sylvestre — have until early January to appoint a financial officer for its petition campaign, after which signature collection can begin.


TINY GROUP OF SEPERATISTS WHO LOVE USA MORE THAN CANADA

People gather in support of Alberta becoming a 51st state during a rally at the legislature in Edmonton, on Saturday, May 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson© The Canadian Press  JUST MOVE SOUTH

Sylvestre, a constituency association president for Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative Party, has four months to collect just under 178,000 signatures. If he does so, the question would be put to Albertans in a referendum.

The Alberta Prosperity Project said on social media Monday that the approval is a "huge victory" for the province.

"This is the breakthrough we've been fighting for," it said.

Sylvestre, in an interview, said he thought Alberta needs to go it alone because of Ottawa's restrictions on oil production and dim prospects for federal electoral change.

"This last election when the Liberals won after 10 years of absolute brutal government, as far as I was concerned, I believe that there's absolutely no way that we'll ever win another election in Alberta," he said.

"It's up to us to decide what to do about that."

Sylvestre said the group already has 2,000 people signed up internally to collect signatures, and more than 240,000 people who have previously pledged their willingness to sign.

"This is very non-partisan as far as I'm concerned," he said.

"Every Albertan will benefit from this, and it'll give Alberta children and my grandchildren and my kids a much brighter future as far as I'm concerned, or I wouldn't be doing it.

The group's approved question is similar to one it had previously submitted: “Do you agree that the province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?”

That question was held up in court for a review of its constitutionality.

The delay prompted Smith's government to change the rules for citizen-initiated referendums earlier this month.

The changes rendered the court review moot, as it allowed Sylvestre to reapply at no charge while also preventing Alberta's chief electoral officer from rejecting referendum proposals should they be unconstitutional or not factually accurate.

Justice Colin Feasby, who issued his decision on the original question despite the government vetoing the result, deemed the proposal to be unconstitutional, but only under the previous rules.

Feasby, in his decision, wrote that Alberta separating from Canada would violate certain Charter and treaty rights, as there are no guarantees Albertans would keep their right to vote federally or maintain mobility rights if the province were to become its own nation.

He also noted that those rights would need to be accounted for in any negotiation undertaken to amend the Constitution, something that would be required should Alberta actually look to quit confederation.

"Alberta chose not to give citizens the power to propose to take away Charter and Treaty rights through the citizen initiative process," Feasby wrote.

But he added: "Alberta seems to regret this decision now."

Justice Minister Mickey Amery's press secretary, Heather Jenkins, said in an email that it's a democratic right for people to participate in citizen initiated referendums and bring forward questions they deem important.

"If those seeking independence believe that they have the support for it, this is their chance to prove it," she said.

Sylvestre said he was excited at the prospect that Albertans could soon decide their own fate.

"In spite of the fact that this has been a roller-coaster up and down ride, I think it's going to be well worth it no matter what happens," he said.


"The people are going to be able to decide based on the information that they get what they want to do with their future, and I think this is what democracy should be all about."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 22, 2025.

— With files from Dayne Patterson in Calgary.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press

Alberta Next Panel recommends ditching RCMP, referendum to quit CPP

Story by Lisa Johnson


Premier Danielle Smith speaks to the media at the Legislature in Edmonton, on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken© The Canadian Press

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s hand-picked panel re-examining the province's relationship with Ottawa says it’s time to ditch the RCMP and hold a provincewide referendum on quitting the Canada Pension Plan.

The Alberta Next panel, in a report with findings and recommendations, says creating a provincial pension plan was the most hotly debated topic among citizens and one that needs to proceed to a vote.

“Replacing the CPP with an (Alberta plan) is the most financially meaningful initiative Albertans have the right to pursue on our own to enhance our sovereignty and financial independence within a united Canada,” says the report from the panel, which was headed up by Smith.

But the panel stresses such a vote should only be held after residents receive more information on the pros and cons of the province going it alone.

And it says a vote would be contingent on an Alberta pension plan matching or improving the payouts and premiums of the federal system.

The report was issued Friday afternoon without a news conference, and Smith was not made available for an interview.

Her office, asked if she would support a CPP referendum, pointed to Smith's earlier comments that it would be tight to get the issue on any ballot for next fall.

The next general election is set for October 2027.

Related video: RCMP official says police force's future in Alberta uncertain (CBC)

The report comes after months of public town halls across the province and survey feedback.

It also recommends continuing work to create an Alberta police force to replace the RCMP when the latest contract with the national force ends in 2032.

Smith’s government has long questioned whether the province is getting value for money on the Mountie contract, while saying a provincial force can bolster accountability.

The panel acknowledged a provincial force was also a polarizing topic in debates but said it heard concerns about police staffing levels, particularly in smaller communities, with hundreds of contracted policing positions going unfilled.

“Some, like Cypress County, have been paying the RCMP with zero officers provided,” says the report.

The panel also called for referendums on more provincial control over immigration and on specific constitutional questions, such as abolishing the "unelected Senate."

It suggested doing a cost-benefit analysis of Alberta running its own tax system.

And it urged Alberta to push harder for equalization reform, saying that on balance Albertans are OK with subsidizing smaller provinces but “the vast majority strongly oppose their federal tax dollars subsidizing provinces with the fiscal and economic strength to deliver such services on their own.”

Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi labelled the Alberta Next project a stage-managed distraction from government failures on health care and education.

He said Smith didn't campaign on any of the issues prioritized in the report, which he noted was released on the Friday before Christmas.

"The government has spent millions of taxpayer dollars on a sham consultation, where they actively silenced anyone who dared to disagree with them,” Nenshi said in an interview.

“(They) are now pretending that that was the voice of Albertans to justify spending millions of dollars more on referenda on things that Albertans don't want.

Nenshi said the CPP issue is a stalking horse to create a government controlled piggy bank.

“They want to create a large asset fund that is under the control of the government to invest in things the government wants to invest in," he said.

Debate in Alberta over whether to quit the more than $777-billion CPP has been ebbing and flowing for more than two years under Smith. The premier has linked a standalone plan to long-standing concerns that Albertans are paying more into Confederation than they deservedly get back.

In 2023, her government issued a report estimating Alberta is entitled to more than half the money in the national nest egg should it go its own way.

That number was hotly contested. Absent a clear exit figure, Smith put formal consultations on hold and the issue faded into the background.

As late as this spring, Smith said no firm bottom line number coupled with a lack of public “appetite” for leaving the CPP precluded any referendum for the time being.

However, the panel said a straw vote of people at its town halls supported the idea, as did a slim majority of those in its poll. But it noted a “clear majority” of those who sent online feedback opposed leaving the CPP.

The panel said it heard concerns about what would happen if a provincial fund was mismanaged or if Alberta’s strong economic advantage didn't continue, not to mention questions about portability.

The panel said all those details – contribution rates, management structure, benefits and more — need to spelled out for Albertans ahead of any referendum.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2025.

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press

Alberta increases referendum petition fees to $25,000 — a 5,000 per cent hike

Story by Lisa Johnson


Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Justice Mickey Amery announce proposed changes to several pieces of democratic process legislation, in Edmonton on Tuesday April 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson© The Canadian Press

EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government is hiking the cost to apply for a citizen-initiated referendum by 5,000 per cent, saying it's about making sure applicants are serious.

It’s the latest in a series of rule changes that one petitioner – country singer Corb Lund – characterizes as exhausting.

A cabinet order released late Wednesday afternoon upped the fee to $25,000 from $500.

Heather Jenkins, press secretary to Justice Minister Mickey Amery, says the cost will be refundable if the applicant meets the required threshold of signatures and completes reporting requirements.

"Citizen initiative petitions are costly,” Jenkins said Thursday in a statement.

“That is why a higher application fee was chosen, to discourage frivolous applications and protect Alberta taxpayers.”

The move comes despite previous efforts by Smith's United Conservative Party government to make it easier for citizens to apply for a policy initiative or a constitutional referendum, including efforts to put Alberta separation on the ballot.

Lund may not have to pay the higher fee.

Elections Alberta confirmed Thursday his prior application to launch a referendum to stop new coal mining in Alberta's Rockies will have a grace period


The new fee would be waived if Lund files his paperwork by Jan. 11.

Lund, in an interview, said it’s disturbing to see Smith’s government make sudden rule changes for what he views as "random, self-serving reasons.”

"The chaos and confusion and exhaustion is very similar to the same confusion, chaos and exhaustion that we've seen from the government on how they've been handling the coal situation for the last six years," Lund said.

"It just keeps changing."

He said no matter what else might shift, he won't be deterred from completing a process that's already been cancelled by recent election law changes, forcing him to start again.

"We'll fill out as many forms as they make us fill out if it means we can keep the coal mines out of the headwaters of the rivers that provide our drinking water."

Premier Smith has long championed the merits of direct democracy.

In late November, when asked about Lund's petition, she said, "I support citizen-initiated referenda. I think it's really important that people have their say. The rules are out there, and I will watch with great interest.”

Earlier this year, Smith's government significantly lowered the thresholds for citizens to apply for a referendum, including the number of signatures required.

Earlier this month, her government passed a new law to clear further legal hurdles faced by those aiming to hold a separation referendum.

A pro-Confederation petition organized by former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk is not affected. Elections Alberta has already certified that petition as having the required signatures. Lukaszuk seeks to spike separatist sentiment by forcing a decision to reaffirm Alberta staying in Canada.

Another application has already received the green light to proceed. It seeks to gather signatures to ask whether Alberta should end spending public money on independent schools.

Alberta NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir says the fee increase shows the UCP government doesn't have any respect for the democratic process.

"This change is clearly meant to stifle democratic action,” Sabir said in a statement.

Chief electoral officer Gordon McClure told a legislative committee earlier this month it cost $340,000 to verify Lukaszuk’s petition and that the cost to prepare for a subsequent provincewide referendum would be more than $3 million.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 18, 2025.

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press

MAKE ALBERTA GREAT AGAIN

Tasha Kheiriddin: Carney has no choice but to listen to Danielle Smith

Opinion by Tasha Kheiriddin


Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Monday May 5, 2025. Gavin Young/Postmedia

On the eve of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s critical trip to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith stole the spotlight and turned it firmly on herself. In a twenty-minute “address to Albertans,” she aired grievances against the federal Liberal government, from carbon taxes to Justin Trudeau’s infamous “no more pipelines bill,” C-69. Smith also presented a list of demands, from resource corridor development to greater provincial control over energy and immigration. And she pledged to hold a referendum on Alberta independence should “enough” citizens demand one — while insisting multiple times that she doesn’t support secession herself

The timing was no accident. Smith wanted to be a topic of conversation in the White House. Perhaps she’s angling for another interview on Fox News. Or perhaps she is trying to stay in power, pacifying the same angry base that ousted her predecessor, Jason Kenney, in 2022 after he won only 51.4 per cent in a leadership review.

Whatever the reason, Smith is seizing the moment to make Alberta’s case, to the detriment of Canada’s. If Carney has trouble at home, it will be harder for him to stand strong abroad. And it’s hard to see how that helps Alberta — unless Smith has another agenda in mind. And for that, she has a model: Quebec.

Albertans often point to the success of Quebec in dominating the national conversation — and extracting concessions from Ottawa — by threatening separation. But Quebec’s grievance is cultural, not economic — rooted in preserving a French-speaking enclave in an English continent. Alberta’s complaint by contrast, is financial. The province sees itself as the country’s cash cow, milked for equalization payments and dismissed by Laurentian elites for decades — and on this, Smith is not wrong.


Related video: Graham Thomson joins CBC to unpack the strategy behind Danielle Smith’s sovereignty talk (cbc.ca)


Alberta was created as a province in 1905, but the federal government retained Crown lands until the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement and directly controlled its resources until 1930. The province has a particularly bitter history with Liberal governments: Pierre Elliott Trudeau enacted the National Energy Policy in the 1980’s, while son Justin brought in carbon taxes, emissions caps, and the aforementioned Bill C-69 in the 2010’s.

So what could satisfy Alberta? Smith has a list: an LNG corridor, approval of new oil pipelines, and repeal or serious amendment of C-69, also known as the Impact Assessment Act. Carney has already said he would amend — but not repeal — the law, and during the campaign , he promised to cut wait times for the approval of major resource projects from five years to two. He also pledged to create trade and energy corridors for transport, energy, critical minerals and digital connectivity.

But will that be enough in the current climate? Protesters who took to the legislature on the weekend are disappointed in the election result – and don’t trust Liberals to have their back. Polls show that 15 per cent of the province would vote to join the US, while 29 per cent would vote for independence.

Smith may indeed be playing with fire. While Trump denies interest in a military invasion of Canada, Trump’s interest in making us the “51 st State” is not idle conversation. He has mused about annexing the west first: could he twist history to make it Canada’s “Donbas”? Americans played a key role in Alberta’s early development: by 1916, nearly 19 per cent of its population hailed from the US, though it has been diluted by waves of immigration since then.

Carney must tread carefully — and act quickly. A referendum in 2026, as Smith threatens to hold, would weaken Canada’s position during crucial negotiations with the United States. To stave this off, Carney will have to shed some of his green mantle and expedite resource development projects that benefit the west — projects that will also benefit the rest of the country through job creation and economic activity. A fair deal for Alberta is now essential for Canada, in more ways than one.

Postmedia News IS A CONSERVATIVE NEWS PAPER

Tasha Kheiriddin is Postmedia’s national politics columnist.

Parti Québécois leader stands with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her ‘strong hand’

LES SEPERATISTE; BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Story by Antoine Trépanier


Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon during question period Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at the legislature in Quebec City.

OTTAWA — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has an ally in Quebec and his name is Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, the Parti Québécois leader.

A day after Smith threatened the federal government of including a referendum question on separation in 2026 if her province didn’t have the Accord, she thinks it deserves with Ottawa, St-Pierre Plamondon said Smith made a “striking gesture” for the “autonomy and defence of her own province.”

“It doesn’t matter what referendum they hold, because obviously it’s under construction. But I totally agree with provinces that stand up, that are loyal to their own Parliament, that are capable of showing a strong hand. And that’s the key word, strong hand,” said St-Pierre Plamondon, who is often called PSPP in Quebec.

In a in a livestreamed address Monday , Premier Smith called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to negotiate a new deal between Ottawa and Alberta guaranteeing more pipelines and changes to equalization.

“We hope this will result in a binding agreement that Albertans can have confidence in. Call it an ‘Alberta accord’,” said Smith who then called Alberta’s separation “the elephant in the room.”

“The vast majority of (separatists) are not fringe voices… They are loyal Albertans,” she said. “They’re … our friends and neighbours who’ve just had enough of having their livelihoods and prosperity attacked by a hostile federal government.”

Related video: Alta. premier says she'll work with Carney 'in good faith' to repair relations (Global News)  Duration 1:53

At a press conference at Quebec’s National Assembly, St-Pierre Plamondon said it was a “good thing” if other provinces are able to “stand up to the federal government”.

He added that “other provinces are showing” that Canada has issues that affect all provinces in terms of “abuse of power”.

St-Pierre Plamondon then went on the offensive against the province’s journalists for not covering the rebound in support of Quebec secession .

A recent Postmedia-Leger poll revealed that support for Quebec independence, which had fallen below 30 per cent in recent month, sits back at nearly 40 per cent.

Even though Canada is engaged in a tariff war with its closest ally, support for Quebec independence has reached 36 per cent according to new data.

“The most recent and most precise information is the independence of Quebec at 40 per cent, it is the increase in independence in Alberta,” he said.

Léger also polled Canadians from all provinces about their opinion about their province’s independence. The result was that 29 per cent of Albertans supported Alberta sovereignty while an overwhelming majority of the 2,309 respondents (71 per cent) were opposed.


National Post

atrepanier@postmedia.com

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THE PHANTASM OF ALBERTA SEPARATISM RAISES ITS UGLY HEAD WITH UCP 

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'Hockey and nostalgia' won't keep us together: SOME Albertans say they're serious about separation after Liberal win

THE MAJORITY OF ALBERTANS OPPOSE THE SMITH/MANNING SEPARATISTS

Polls show as many as three in 10 Albertans would vote to leave the federation if the Liberals continue to hold power in Ottawa.


Alberta Premier Danielle Smith takes part in a panel on Canada-U.S. relations at a Calgary Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Thursday April 3, 2025.

'BETTER TOETHER' IS NOT NATIONAL UNITY 

BUT AS THE 51ST STATE, SMITHS WET DREAM

OTTAWA — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith didn’t immediately issue a statement when the networks called the federal election for Mark Carney’s Liberals at 10:15 PM EST, but it’s safe to say that not all is calm on the western front.

The Liberals’ fourth straight federal election win keeps Alberta and Ottawa on a collision course, raising the once unthinkable prospect of a referendum on the Prairie province’s separation from Canada

At the time of the election call, the Liberals were leading in just two of Alberta’s 37 ridings .

Cameron Davies, an ex-UCP organizer who supports Alberta independence, said he was disgusted by the Liberal campaign’s use of tired national cliches, which he said made light of the serious issues facing the federation.

“Hockey and nostalgia doesn’t pay the bills… that hockey and nostalgia, it’s not going to keep Canada together,” said Davies.

“Without a reimagined confederation, there will be a strong separatist movement in Alberta,” said Davies.

Davies, who tendered his resignation to the UCP on Thursday, says he plans to spend the next few weeks having “honest, difficult conversations” with likeminded Albertans.


Related video: Premier Danielle Smith reacts to federal election results (cbc.ca)


Smith had warned heading into the election that a Liberal win could lead to an “unprecedented national unity crisis,” if Carney didn’t, within his first six months, undo a handful of Liberal policies that she said unfairly hampered Alberta’s oil and gas sector.

“ Albertans will no longer tolerate the way we’ve been treated by the federal Liberals over the past 10 years,” Smith said in a social media post.

Reform Party founder Preston Manning soon upped the ante, calling Carney himself a “ threat to national unity ” in a widely circulated op-ed.

Manning wrote that “large numbers of Westerners simply will not stand for another four years of Liberal government, no matter who leads it.”

He predicted that, if Carney were to emerge victorious from Monday’s election, he “would then be identified in the history books, tragically and needlessly, as the last prime minister of a united Canada.”

Smith has already announced she’ll launch a post-mortem election panel to give Albertans the chance to weigh in on issues they might want put to a referendum.

Polls show as many as three in 10 Albertans would vote to leave the federation if the Liberals continue to hold power in Ottawa.

Carney needs to seize the chance to reset relations with Alberta, said Martha Hall Findlay, the director of the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy.

“I think the opportunity to move forward is absolutely there… I have every confidence that the prime minister of Canada and premier of Alberta will realize they can accomplish a lot more working together than by being at each other’s throats,” said Findlay.

Hall Findlay said that Carney could build immediate goodwill by dropping the existing targets for the federal emissions cap, set by Trudeau-era environment minister Steven Guilbeault.

“My hope is that (Carney) shows a pragmatism with respect to the West. Perfect example: he stops being coy about an emissions cap, even if he says we still believe in a cap on emissions but the time frames need to be revisited,” said Hall Findlay.

Hall Findlay was a Liberal MP from 2008 to 2011, holding a Toronto-area seat, before moving to Alberta to work in the oil and gas sector.

Rachel Parker, an independent journalist who travels in independentist circles, said she wasn’t as sanguine about the election’s outcome.

“You know, frustrations in Western Canada have grown quite high. They’ve always sort of been there bubbling underneath the surface, this put things into overdrive,” said Parker.


Parker said that Alberta’s independence movement had been organizing in the weeks leading up to Monday’s federal election and she expected to see this activity pick up in the weeks to come.

She added she doesn’t think much will come out of Smith’s post-election panel.

“Panels are really a government’s way of saying ‘we’re doing something, we’re doing something,’ when it’s really just kicking an issue down the road.”

Smith’s predecessor Jason Kenney launched the Alberta Fair Deal Panel shortly after becoming premier in 2019, citing the province’s growing frustration with Ottawa.

The panel generated 25 recommendations, paving the way for a fall 2021 referendum on Alberta’s participation in the federal equalization program .

Kenney’s panel came with a steep price tag of $650,000

Jack Jedwab, the head of the Association for Canadian Studies, says that Alberta sovereigntism differs from the more well-known Quebec variant in several important ways.

“I’d describe it as a form of economic nationalism which is driven by a sense of grievance wherein many Albertans feel they give more than they receive from the federal government,” said Jedwab.

“Albertans strongly identify as Canadian and do not feel emotionally detached from Canada which is something that more likely characterizes Quebec’s expression of nationalism,” he said.

With files from the Canadian Press

National Post
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Trudeau says 'not a snowball's chance in hell' Canada joins U.S.

CBC
Tue, January 7, 2025 

U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday continued to threaten significant tariffs and said he would be willing to use 'economic,' rather than military force, to join Canada and the United States. (Carlos Barria/Reuters - image credit)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday dismissed U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's willingness to use "economic force" to absorb Canada into the United States by reiterating what his Canadian government has said for some time: merging countries is not in the realm of possibility.

"There isn't a snowball's chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States," Trudeau wrote on X.

"Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other's biggest trading and security partner."

At a news conference earlier Tuesday, a bombastic Trump said he would consider using "economic force" to join Canada and the United States together.

"That would really be something," he said in Palm Beach, Fla.

"You get rid of the artificially drawn line and you take a look at what that looks like and it would also be much better national security. Don't forget: We basically protect Canada."

WATCH | 'We don't need anything they have,' Trump says of Canada:

When pressed on the issue, Trump later acknowledged he has no "right" to absorb the country into his own. Criticizing American spending on Canadian goods, he said the United States is still not obligated to support its closest neighbour economically.

Canada and the U.S. have a trillion-dollar trade relationship.

In his answer, Trump pointed to several key imports he felt Americans didn't need: including the automotive, lumber and dairy sectors. The United States imported $614.3 billion Cdn worth of goods from Canada in 2022, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, and is Canada's best customer when it comes to oil and petroleum.

In only his second news conference since his election victory in November, Trump reiterated his intent to impose "substantial" tariffs on Canada and Mexico when he returns to the White House in less than two weeks.

Trump previously threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all imports from the two neighbouring nations unless they do more to address border security.

He did not campaign on a plan to annex Canada but has spoken repeatedly in favour about Canada becoming "the 51st state."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes an announcement outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Monday, Jan.6, 2025.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces his resignation outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Monday. He will step down once the Liberals choose a new party leader. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Gordon Giffin, a former U.S. ambassador to Canada, said Trump's blustering about absorbing his northern neighbour is only a negotiating strategy to add urgency to his long-standing economic grievances.

"Threatening Canada? I guess it sounded like that, but in the final analysis I think it's all about economics and I think he's had economic frustrations with respect to the North American economic experience since his first term," Giffin told CBC News Network on Tuesday.

"Whether he means some 'acquisition' of Canada by the United States by any means? I actually don't believe that."

In his own statement, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said "Canada will never be the 51st state. Period."

On X, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made his own threat against Trump.

"No Canadian wants to join you. We are proud Canadians. Proud of the way we take care of each other and defend our nation. Your attacks will hurt jobs on both sides of the border," he wrote.

"You come for Canadians' jobs, Americans will pay a price."

Trump also eyeing Panama Canal, Greenland

Though he said he was not considering military force on Canada, he remarkably did not rule out that option to have the U.S. take back control of the Panama Canal and acquire the Danish territory of Greenland.

"No, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this: we need them for economic security," he said of the latter.

He said he would "tariff Denmark at a very high level" if it does not give Greenland to the U.S.

Mexican, Danish and Panamanian authorities did not immediately comment. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino has previously rejected the notion of turning the canal back to the U.S., which had owned it before handing over control to Panama in 1999.

Not a 'snowball's chance in hell' of Canada becoming 51st state: Trudeau

Kelly Geraldine Malone
Tue, January 7, 2025 
CANADIAN PRESS

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clapped back Tuesday at Donald Trump's escalating claims that Canada would be better off if it became the 51st state, and has called for an in-person meeting with premiers in Ottawa next week to address this country's relationship with the United States.

Trudeau and the premiers have met virtually twice since November to negotiate a response to Trump's threat to slap Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent import tariffs the day he takes office. That threat is now imminent, with inauguration day less than two weeks away and Trump insisting Tuesday in a news conference that he will follow through with the tariffs.

The Prime Minister's Office said late Tuesday Trudeau and premiers will meet in person Wednesday in Ottawa, days before that would happen.

Trump on Tuesday also repeated his insistence that Canada should join the U.S. While he suggested he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, saying they were vital to American security, he did not go that far with Canada. Instead he said he would rely on "economic force" to merge the two countries.

"You get rid of that artificially drawn line and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security," Trump said, referring to the border between Canada and the U.S.

"And don't forget, we basically protect Canada."

Trudeau, who has until now not directly commented on Trump's repeated and escalating comments about annexing Canada, appeared to have had enough.

"There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States," Trudeau said in a statement posted to social media.

"Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partners."

Trump first quipped about Canada becoming the 51st state in November, when the prime minister and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc dined with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago in Florida to discuss his tariff threats.

LeBlanc has repeatedly dismissed the idea as "a joke" but the government is not laughing now.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly posted on X that his comments "show a complete lack of understanding of what makes Canada a strong country."

The Liberal Party posted a map of North America on X labelling the United States and Canada as "Not the United States," with the caption: "For anyone who may be confused."

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told Trump to "cut the crap."

"Your attacks will hurt jobs on both sides of the border," Singh posted on X. "You come for Canadians' jobs, Americans will pay a price."

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre did not mention Trump by name but said "Canada will never be the 51st state. Period." In a post on X, Poilievre said Canada is an independent country and the United States' best friend.

In a wide-ranging news conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the president-elect said he will impose "substantial" tariffs on Canada and Mexico when he returns to the White House in less than two weeks.

Trump said previously he’ll slap 25 per cent duties on imports from America’s closest neighbours unless they stop the flow of illegal drugs and migrants across the border.

Trudeau and LeBlanc made a quick trip to Florida late last year to discuss the threat. A few weeks later, LeBlanc announced a series of measures to beef up border security with a $1.3-billion package. Trump has indicated he still intends to proceed with his tariff plan.

Trump mused about that meeting with Trudeau during Tuesday's news conference and claimed repeatedly that Canada is subsidized by the U.S. He said the U.S. doesn't need Canadian imports like milk, lumber and automobiles.

The president-elect also criticized Canada’s level of military funding and said he told hockey legend Wayne Gretzky to run for prime minister.

Matthew Lebo, a specialist in U.S. politics at Western University in London, Ont., said he doesn't think Trump will infringe on Canada's sovereignty by somehow forcing the two countries to merge. But the president-elect's comments show an unwillingness to understand the bilateral relationship, he added.

"Canada should be incredibly nervous that our economic health is in the hands of somebody who doesn't understand how things work," he said.

Canada is in a particularly difficult diplomatic situation after Trudeau announced Monday that he will resign his post as soon as a new Liberal leader is chosen, Lebo said.

The date for a Liberal leadership race hasn't been set. Trudeau also prorogued Parliament until March 24 and a federal election will take place later this year.

Earlier Tuesday, Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer said Trudeau had been "weak" in dealing with subsequent U.S. administrations. Singh challenged anyone running for prime minister to commit to retaliatory tariffs if Trump acts on his promises.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has warned he will retaliate if Trump follows through, suggesting the province could cut energy exports to the U.S. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said her province would not impose retaliatory tariffs on oil and gas. 

SHE CAN'T  ANYWAYS TARIFFS ARE FEDERAL JURISDICTION NOT PROVINCIAL.

In a statement late Tuesday afternoon, Smith did not directly address Trump's latest threatening comments but reiterated that Canada buys more products and services from the U.S. than any other country.

“Canada is a strong, independent nation with the ninth largest economy in the world, and our southern neighbour benefits from this economic strength," she said.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said Tuesday that the burden of confronting the tariff threat has now fallen to the premiers. He said he and his counterparts from across Canada will travel to Washington in an effort to convince the president-elect to back away from the tariff plan.

"It makes no sense to punish both Americans and Canadians to address that issue," he said. "We can do it together."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2025.

— With files from David Baxter and Kyle Duggan in Ottawa, Brenna Owen in Vancouver and The Associated Press

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press

‘A snowball’s chance in hell’: Trudeau rejects Trump threat to annex Canada

Leyland Cecco in Toronto and Oliver Holmes
Tue, January 7, 2025 

THE GUARDIAN


The prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, announced his resignation on Monday.Photograph: Canadian Press/Rex/Shutterstock


Justin Trudeau has rejected threats from Donald Trump that the US could use “economic force” to annex its closest ally, saying: “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.

“Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner,” Canada’s prime minister wrote on social media.

Trump’s musings on Tuesday came as he doubled down on threats to impose protectionist tariffs on one of the US’s biggest trading partners.

“Canada and the United States: that would be really something,” he said from Florida, but warned his incoming administration was getting frustrated over what the president-elected called “subsidies” for Canada.

“We’ve been good neighbours, but we can’t do it forever, and it’s a tremendous amount of money,” he said.

Canada’s foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, also pushed back, writing on social media that Trump’s comments showed a “complete lack of understanding of what makes Canada a strong country”. She said Canada “will never back down in the face of threats”.

The remarks are likely to further fuel political turmoil in Canada after the resignation of its prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and the suspension of parliament until late March.

The US president-elect made his comments in a meandering press conference in which he also refused to rule out using military force to retake the Panama Canal and seize Greenland, and promised to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”.

He once again mulled a union between Canada and the US, describing their shared border, established more than 230 years ago, as an “artificially drawn line”.

Related: Trump refuses to rule out using military to take Panama Canal and Greenland

Asked if he would use military force, Trump said: “No, economic force.” He repeated his baseless claim that the US “subsidizes” Canada and said the country spends too much to defend its neighbour.

Trudeau announced on Monday he would step down after nearly 10 years in power as soon as his ruling Liberal party chooses a new leader.

Hours later, Trump revived his running jibe on social media about persuading Canada to seek US statehood.

“Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat,” the incoming president wrote.

In a stark contrast to Trump’s trolling, Joe Biden expressed his appreciation for Trudeau in a phone call late on Monday.

“Over the last decade, Prime Minister Trudeau has led with commitment, optimism, and strategic vision. The US-Canada alliance is stronger because of him. The American and Canadian people are safer because of him. And the world is better off because of him,” Biden said in a statement on Tuesday.

But the latest developments are likely to further deepen worries that a suspended parliament, a lame-duck prime minister, a Liberal leadership race and a federal election will all unfold at a time when Canada’s largest trading partner is at its most unpredictable.

Trudeau’s decision to resign has thrown open the doors to a fierce party race before a general election later this year.

Late on Monday, the former Bank of England governor Mark Carney announced that he was considering entering the race to replace Trudeau.

Related: Who could replace Justin Trudeau as leader of Canada’s Liberal party?

Carney, a climate-focused economist who became the first non-Briton to run the Bank of England, said in a statement that he would be “considering this decision closely with my family over the coming days”. A longtime and prominent member of the Liberal party, Carney said he was “encouraged” by the support of Liberal lawmakers and people “who want us to move forward with positive change and a winning economic plan”.

Speculation that Carney, who ran the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 and the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, could be seeking high office has grown over the past few months as Trudeau’s popularity plummeted amid record inflation, an acute housing crisis, high food prices and voter fatigue.

It has been more than a decade since the party last ran a federal leadership contest, with Trudeau securing a dominant win in 2013 and rebuilding the party in the years since.

The Liberal caucus will meet on Wednesday to discuss the procedure for selecting Trudeau’s replacement. The party’s constitution has a process for selecting a leader that typically takes months but there are now fewer than 80 days until parliament returns. Party brass are hopeful for a new leader by the end of January.

“It’s unfathomable to me that we can’t choose a leader of the Liberal party in a 30- to 60-day period, whereas we can choose the prime minister of Canada or the leader of the country according to the Elections Act in a 30- to 60-day period,” the immigration minister, Marc Miller, told CBC News.

Still, there are unanswered questions about who may be casting a ballot for the new leader. Trudeau’s 2013 win came after the party allowed people who had not paid for memberships to vote.

The Liberal party is in a tough position, with the opposition Conservatives expected to win a majority government under current polling. The Conservative party leader, Pierre Poilievre, has dismissed the former central banker as “Carbon Tax Carney”, a reference to a levy on consumer fuel Trudeau brought in. The Conservatives are also weighing using the tagline “Just like Justin” as an attack on the next Liberal leader in the hopes of tying any successor to the unpopularity of the prime minister.

Last week, Trudeau’s close friend and former principal secretary Gerald Butts wrote in a Substack post that allowing “a handful of apparatchiks [to] choose their prime minister” would harm the party.

“Competitions create better competitors. In politics, leadership campaigns make for better general election campaign teams. They train people, test ideas, build resilience,” he wrote.

Butts said the party’s future was at risk if it held a limited race bound by tight rules. “If Liberals arrogate that right to a few hundred people in Ottawa, I hope they’re alert to the risk that they could be selecting the party’s last leader.”

A poll by the Angus Reid Institute on Friday, before Trudeau’s announcement, found Carney was in second place among candidates likely to replace Trudeau as Liberal leader. The former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, whose resignation last month increased calls for Trudeau to go, was top.

If he were to win the leadership race, Carney would be in the unusual situation of becoming prime minister without holding a seat in the House of Commons. Party leaders are not required to be members of parliament when they win, but convention requires they run for a seat as quickly as possible. It took Jagmeet Singh 16 months to become an MP after winning the leadership of the New Democratic party.

With a spring election widely expected, the new Liberal leader will only hold the post of prime minister for a handful of months before the country votes.