A senior member of U.S. President Donald Trump’s cabinet has waded into Canadian domestic politics, commenting publicly on Alberta’s separatist movement and criticizing Canada’s handling of pipeline development.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made the remarks Thursday during an interview on the right-wing broadcaster Real America’s Voice, becoming the highest-ranking Trump administration official to date to speak about Alberta’s internal political debate.
Bessent claimed Canada has blocked Alberta from building a pipeline to the Pacific coast and suggested the province would be a “natural partner” for the United States.
“I think we should let them come down into the U.S., and Alberta’s a natural partner for the U.S.,” Bessent said. “They have great resources. The Albertans are very independent people.”
He went further, saying he had heard “rumours” of a potential referendum on whether Alberta should remain part of Canada, adding that “people want sovereignty” and want “what the U.S. has got.”
A Trump administration official later told The Canadian Press that Bessent was responding to a question during an interview and that his comments should not be compared to what the official described as Canada’s past political advertising in the United States.
The remarks drew responses from federal and provincial leaders in Canada.
Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon said Ottawa remains focused on strengthening Canada’s economy and sovereignty through trade diversification, rather than reacting to every external comment. Culture Minister Marc Miller echoed that sentiment, saying such remarks should simply be brushed off.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s office pushed back on any suggestion of joining the United States, stating that the vast majority of Albertans are not interested in becoming a U.S. state. In a statement, her spokesman said Smith supports “a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” while continuing to advocate for new pipeline routes in all directions, including to U.S. markets.
The comments come amid growing visibility of Alberta’s independence movement, which is currently collecting signatures to trigger a provincial referendum. Organizers have emphasized that the proposed vote would ask whether Alberta should become independent — not whether it should join the United States.
While some separatist organizers say they have had informal contact with U.S. political figures, movement leaders insist their goal is sovereignty independent of both Canada and the U.S.
Bessent’s comments add a new layer of tension to Canada-U.S. relations, which have already been strained by trade disputes and political rhetoric, as Ottawa prepares for upcoming negotiations with Washington later this year.