Premier Danielle Smith says she will not “demonize or marginalize” Albertans who support Alberta or Western independence, responding to reporters’ questions following warnings from British Columbia Premier David Eby and the federal government about alleged outreach by independence groups to the United States.Smith’s comments came after Eby said that seeking foreign assistance to break up Canada could amount to treason, remarks that were raised during a First Ministers’ meeting and the subsequent press conference.Asked to respond, Smith said polling suggests as many as 30% of Albertans—roughly one million people—have lost faith in Confederation after what she described as a decade of federal hostility toward the province..“When you look at the polls, they suggest as many as 30% of Albertans have lost hope,” Smith said. “That’s about a million people, and I’m not going to demonize or marginalize a million of my fellow citizens when they’ve got legitimate grievances.”Smith emphasized that her United Conservative government supports a “strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” noting legislation passed early in her tenure affirming that position. However, she said frustration with Ottawa’s policies has fueled growing support for Alberta and Western independence.“For 10 years under Justin Trudeau’s government, our province was relentlessly attacked,” Smith said. “Our economy was attacked, our provincial rights were attacked, and also our personal freedoms and our way of life.”.She said the response should be to restore confidence through action rather than condemnation.“What we need to do is give Albertans hope,” Smith said. “We need to show them—not just tell them, not just words, but with actions—that Canada can work.”Earlier, Eby was asked by a reporter whether concerns he raised about Alberta and Western independence groups seeking U.S. support had been addressed during the meeting..Eby said while internal debates about federalism, provincial powers, or referendums are legitimate, involving foreign governments crosses a line.“This is a country my grandparents fought for,” Eby said. “This is a country we have to fight for, and there are lots of people who would like to take it from us.”He said asking a foreign government to assist Alberta or Western independence efforts is unacceptable..“Those who would solicit a foreign government to try to come in and take over our country or break it up—that’s not part of our vision for Canada,” Eby said. “That’s not Canadian conduct.”Eby added that while the word is rarely used, such actions could be described as treasonous.“I’m not talking about debates that we have inside the country among Canadians,” he said. “I’m talking about crossing the border, soliciting the assistance of a foreign government to break up this country. And I don’t think we should stand for it.”.Questions about U.S. involvement intensified when reporters asked the prime minister about meetings between members of the Trump administration and Alberta or Western independence groups, as well as comments by U.S. officials suggesting openness to such discussions.Asked whether this constituted foreign interference, the prime minister said Canada expects its sovereignty to be respected.“I would expect that the U.S. administration would respect Canadian sovereignty and that they would confine their discussion about Alberta’s democratic process to Albertans and to Canadians,” he said, adding that the issue would be raised through diplomatic channels in Washington and Ottawa..“I fully associate myself with Premier Smith’s comments just then,” the prime minister later added. “We expect the U.S. administration to respect Canadian sovereignty.”He said he has consistently made that position clear in conversations with U.S. President Donald Trump.“When I’ve had conversations with the U.S. president, I point this out—full stop—and then we continue to talk about how we can work together,” he said..Pressed on whether Trump had ever raised the prospect of Alberta or Western independence, the prime minister said he had not, and noted that any recent comments from U.S. officials had emerged only within the past 24 to 48 hours.“I don’t have a running commentary on everything the administration does,” he said. “I stand by what I just said about respecting our sovereignty.”Smith did not address specific allegations of meetings between independence groups and U.S. officials, but reiterated that frustration in Alberta should be addressed politically.“That’s why we participate in these First Ministers’ conferences,” she said, “so that we can find the things that we agree on and work together for the betterment of the country.”
