How some Alberta separatists are courting U.S. support for independence
Alberta separatist groups are collaborating with U.S. Republican political strategists to utilize data-mining software for their independence campaign. The initiative aims to mobilize voters by identifying like-minded communities, mirroring tactics used in recent American elections.
Why it matters
The involvement of foreign political operatives in domestic separatist movements raises questions about political sovereignty and the cross-border influence of populist campaign strategies.
On an afternoon in late January, Mitch Sylvestre, the leader of Alberta’s most prominent separatist organization, gathered with three of his lieutenants in a boardroom not far from the executive hangars at the Calgary International Airport, where private jets shuttle in and out of the city away from prying eyes.
It was a few hours before thousands of Albertans would gather near the city centre at a rally to launch the separatist campaign. But this meeting, convened behind closed doors a half-hour drive away, was invite only.
The Alberta Prosperity Project chose the location to accommodate its guests, Republican political strategists from Michigan who helped Donald Trump win the state in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
The American delegation travelled to Calgary to sell them on software developed for Republicans to get out the vote – and how it could be used to wrench Alberta from Confederation.
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