As a potential referendum over independence for the Canadian province of Alberta looms, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent used the moment as an opportunity to needle America's neighbor to the north.
"Alberta is a natural partner for the U.S.," Bessent said on Jack Posobiec's podcast Thursday. "They have great resources."
"The Albertans are very independent people," Bessent added. "Rumor is that they may have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not."
The Alberta Prosperity Project has been collecting signatures on a petition that asks Albertans: "Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?"
If organizers can collect 178,000 signatures by May 2, Albertans would vote in a referendum whether they want the province to leave Canada.
After a referendum on Quebec separatism in 1995, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that if a "clear majority" votes yes, then Canada and Alberta would have a constitutional obligation to negotiate in good faith.
Separation for Quebec failed by a razor-thin margin, 50.58% to 49.42%.
Bessent teased that Alberta could leave Canada to join the U.S.
"People are talking," Bessent said. "People want sovereignty. They want what the U.S. has got."
The Treasury secretary dismissed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as a "globalist" after a spat Canada's leader had with President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
After a speech in which Carney implicitly criticized Trump, Trump said, "Canada lives because of the United States."
Trump has talked about making Canada the 51st state and posted this week an altered image of a map of the U.S. that includes Canada, Cuba, Greenland, and Venezuela as part of its territory.
Trump said in Davos that Canada gets many "freebies" from the U.S. and "should be grateful."
He said Carney's Davos speech showed he "wasn't so grateful."
On Thursday, Trump announced he was withdrawing an invitation for Canada to join his Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts.
"Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada's joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time," Trump wrote on Truth Social in a post directed at Carney.
Trump's post came after Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Tuesday that Ottawa does not plan to pay the $1 billion price of a permanent seat on the Board of Peace, which will initially oversee the governance and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Carney fired back at Trump while giving a speech in Quebec City.
"Canada doesn't live because of the United States," Carney said. "Canada thrives because we are Canadian."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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