Will Alberta leave Canada? Either way, Premier Danielle Smith is feeling the heat



At a recent anti-separatist rally in Calgary, left-wing activist Jenny Yeremiy denounced Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as a "separatist premier," accusing her of promoting independence "like a teenager slamming her bedroom door."

It was a striking charge against a politician who, at almost the same moment, was being condemned by committed Alberta separatists for refusing to let voters decide independence on the terms they wanted.

'I'm surprised, actually, my polling was as high as it was.'

That political whiplash neatly captures Smith's predicament: To many federalists, she has become the face of a dangerous separatist movement, while to many separatists, she is the establishment figure standing in its way.

As the debate over Alberta independence continues, passions on either side show no signs of abating.

Strong and sovereign

Smith, who has advocated for "a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada," finds herself leading a United Conservative Party whose grassroots includes a significant separatist faction, with past polling suggesting a majority of UCP voters are at least open to Alberta leaving Canada."

The latest flash point came in May after King's Bench Justice Shaina Leonard ruled that an independence referendum question backed by more than 300,000 petition signatures could not proceed without additional consultation with Alberta's indigenous communities.

Although she appealed the court ruling, Smith has concluded that the litigation could take years to resolve. Instead of placing a straight independence question on October's ballot, she has proposed asking Albertans whether they want to hold a binding independence referendum in the future — a referendum on whether to hold a referendum.

RELATED: Albertans are ready to vote on Canadian secession — so why is their premier stalling?

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Wrath of Rath

That decision drew criticism from Alberta Prosperity Project legal counsel Jeff Rath, who argued that the court ruling did not prevent the province from proceeding with the original question asking Albertans whether they wish to remain in Canada.

Speaking with Blaze Lifestyle, Smith defended the government's approach as the product of legal advice.

"As you know, I get a lot of advice from a lot of lawyers, and the lawyers ... have told me that once something is decided in a court of law, it's the law of the land," Smith said.

"The law of the land right now in Alberta is that in order to proceed with a question that was designed as the Stay Free Alberta folks put forward, we'd have to do months of indigenous consultation."

A recent Angus Reid poll found Smith's approval rating in Alberta had fallen to 39%, one of the lowest levels of her premiership. Smith said she considers that number shockingly favorable considering that she has angered nearly every faction in the debate simultaneously.

"I'm surprised, actually, my polling was as high as it was," she said.

"Everyone was mad at me for about a week there — I had four different groups."

'Why are you doing this?'

She described the first group as Albertans who oppose even discussing independence.

"There was a group of people who said, 'Why are you doing this at all?'" For Smith, the answer comes down to Alberta's robust Citizen Initiative Act, which allows eligible voters to submit proposals directly to the provincial government. "When 400,000 people sign that petition, and 300,000 sign another saying they want to have this debate ... it's our obligation as government to follow our own law and put that forward."

A second group, Smith said, wanted a referendum initially but later "got cold feet" and hoped the government would provide "an off-ramp."

"The leave folks ... wanted us to put their question on as it had been written," said Smith, referring to the original petition language asking Albertans directly whether they wish to remain in Canada. "I explained [that] we have legal advice that we cannot do that."

Finally, Smith pointed to Albertans who are dissatisfied with Ottawa but do not want to leave Canada.

"I know that there's a group out there that are not happy with [Alberta's] relationship with Canada, don't want to break the country up, but they want to send a message. And ... I just think there's a better way to send a message."

Albertans are ready to vote on Canadian secession — so why is their premier stalling?



To many Americans, Alberta may seem like a distant Canadian province. But the oil-rich western region increasingly resembles a northern version of America’s populist red states — deeply distrustful of liberal federal power, economically tied to energy production, and increasingly willing to challenge the legitimacy of national institutions.

The difference is that Alberta’s growing independence movement is no longer content merely to complain about Ottawa — it wants out.

'Who amongst us thought when we were growing up that one day we'd have the opportunity to create a new country?' Rath said. 'How much fun is this?'

Now, Alberta independence advocates are accusing Conservative Alberta Premier Danielle Smith of blocking a referendum on separation in order to maintain relations with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government in Ottawa.

Pipe dream

Jeff Rath, legal counsel for the Alberta Prosperity Project and one of the leading voices advocating Alberta independence, claims Smith is quietly delaying a provincial referendum on separation in hopes of securing federal support for a pipeline route through neighboring British Columbia.

Rath does not oppose pipelines themselves. In fact, many Alberta separatists increasingly argue that the province’s economic future lies in deeper integration with American energy markets rather than continued dependence on Ottawa and Eastern Canada.

Rath also questioned whether the proposed pipeline is even necessary, arguing that Alberta will soon have substantial additional export capacity through existing and expanding infrastructure connected to U.S. markets.

In his view, Smith is trading away referendum momentum for a politically compromised deal that still leaves Alberta subject to Ottawa’s climate and energy policies.

“She’s literally sold out everybody in Alberta for a completely unnecessary pipeline,” Rath said. Rath told Align that a source close to Smith informed him of what he described as a behind-the-scenes arrangement between the premier and Carney.

Slowing momentum

The dispute highlights growing tensions inside Alberta’s separatist movement, which has increasingly clashed with Smith despite her frequent criticism of Ottawa and the Liberal government. While Smith has positioned herself as a defender of Alberta’s autonomy within Canada, many independence advocates now accuse her of slowing momentum at a moment when they believe public support is surging.

The conflict intensified after Alberta Court of King’s Bench Justice Shaina Leonard questioned the legitimacy of an independence petition signed by more than 300,000 Albertans. Leonard ruled that Elections Alberta may have improperly assessed the petition because some indigenous bands oppose Alberta separation.

Leonard, who was appointed by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has since become a target of separatist frustration over what many in the movement view as judicial interference in a democratic process.

RELATED: FREE ALBERTA! Nod from US energizes Canada sovereignty movement

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Referendum on a referendum

But Rath insists that neither the courts nor Smith can prevent Albertans from voting on independence.

The lawyer — who has met several times with members of President Donald Trump’s administration — said he was astonished that Smith is now proposing what critics have described as a referendum on whether to hold a referendum.

Rath argues that Smith already possesses the legal authority to move forward immediately.

When asked by Align whether an independence referendum can proceed despite Leonard’s ruling, Rath replied: “One hundred percent."

Rath pointed to paragraph 76 of Leonard’s decision, which he says explicitly affirms the Alberta government’s authority under the province’s Referendum Act to place the question on the ballot without relying on the Citizen Initiative Act petition process.

“What’s going up to the Court of Appeal is whether or not ... there's a requirement for First Nations consultation or whether it's unconstitutional — not whether the question goes on the ballot at all,” Rath said.

Rath sharply criticized Leonard’s ruling, calling it political rather than legal.

“This is fundamentally a political decision and not a legal decision,” he told Align.

Gathering steam

He also argued that the ruling has backfired by energizing the independence movement rather than slowing it.

“People in Alberta are furious,” Rath said. “Even people that are sitting on the fence are telling me, ‘I was sitting on the fence until I see that all it takes is one liberal justice to tell me that I don't have a right to do something, and I'm done with this.’”

Rath said frustration with Canada’s judiciary is now fueling broader constitutional discussions inside the province, including calls for an elected judiciary similar to the American system.

The controversy, he argued, has transformed Alberta independence from a fringe political idea into a serious constitutional debate.

“This is probably good for another 5%,” Rath said, referring to support for separation.

Once in a generation

Despite the legal battle and political uncertainty, Rath described the movement in optimistic terms, framing Alberta independence as a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

“Who amongst us thought when we were growing up that one day we'd have the opportunity to create a new country?” Rath said. “How much fun is this?”

Smith, meanwhile, remains in a politically precarious position. Although she has repeatedly said she opposes Alberta separation and would campaign against it in any referendum, many members of her governing United Conservative Party support giving voters the opportunity to decide the issue directly.

Even many Albertans who oppose separation still support holding a referendum, Rath said.

“100% of those people believe that Albertans are adults and should have the right to be able to answer this question."

Whether Smith can continue balancing Alberta nationalism with her federalist instincts may determine not only the future of her government but also the trajectory of a separatist movement that no longer appears willing to wait patiently for Ottawa to change course.

Canadian province makes major move for independence — and it's not Quebec



Ottawa and members of the eastern ruling class of Canada have made no secret of their contempt for Canada's resource-rich prairie provinces and their inhabitants, proving time and again their willingness to simultaneously exploit the West's wealth and hinder its progress.

'Albertans are engaged and this is an issue people want to have a say on.'

While the powers that be might not be losing sleep over alienating the residents of these provinces, they could soon lose something far more precious: a province roughly 1.56 times bigger than California that's home to over 5 million people, vast natural beauty, the fourth-largest proven oil reserves in the world, a large variety of valuable metallic and industrial minerals, and Atlanta's former NHL franchise.

How it started

Canadians — not so much those in the 18-to-34 age bracket, who largely voted Conservative, but those over the age of 55 — decided last year to award another four years to the Liberal government that in the preceding years oversaw a historic growth of the federal deficit, numerous tax hikes, an unprecedented influx of immigrants, a spike in illegal immigration, rising crime, unanswered church burnings, a worsening housing crisis, and the rise of state-facilitated suicide as a leading cause of death nationally.

Unlike certain progressive regions that got what they wanted in the form of another Liberal government, the Province of Alberta flatly rejected World Economic Forum regular and self-identified "European" Mark Carney and his woke party.

The Conservatives netted 91.9% of the vote in Alberta, the province with the youngest population. The Liberals alternatively brought in a measly 5.4%.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith acknowledged her fellows' frustration at the time, stating, "A large majority of Albertans are deeply frustrated that the same government that overtly attacked our provincial economy almost unabated for the past 10 years has been returned to government."

RELATED: Priest breaks hip — now Canada apparently wants him dead

Elections Canada

While there has long been chatter about Alberta possibly separating from Canada, the 2025 federal election energized the secessionist movement.

Proponents of Albertan sovereignty were further emboldened after the provincial legislature passed amendments to the Citizen Initiative Act, which make it easier to start a referendum, including one on separating from Canada.

On Jan. 2, Alberta's chief electoral officer issued the separatist group Stay Free Alberta's citizen initiative petition, kicking off a 120-day signature collection period and setting the stage for a possible referendum in the event the group could secure at least 177,732 signatures, which amounts to 10% of eligible voters.

How it's going

Stay Free Alberta petitioners, accompanied by hundreds of supporters, delivered the goods to Elections Alberta's Edmonton office on Monday.

The separatists claim to have collected 301,620 signatures, state media reported. Another 1,500 signatures were allegedly late in coming owing to problems with Canada Post, the nation's strike-happy, government-owned postal delivery service.

Stay Free Alberta leader Mitch Sylvestre told the crowd, "This process shows that Albertans are engaged and this is an issue people want to have a say on."

Elections Alberta confirmed that Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure has received the petition and signature sheets from Sylvestre.

The verification is, however, on hold until Justice Shaina Leonard — an appointee of the Trudeau Liberal government — rules on a legal challenge advanced by a pair of Indian tribes that claim the petition process threatens treaty rights. Her decision is expected later this month.

Should the Indians' legal challenge fail, the province will have 21 days to verify the petition.

If deemed successful, the petition will be submitted to provincial officials, who will then decide whether to sign off on a province-wide referendum, which could take place as soon as Oct. 19. Premier Smith previously indicated that if the requisite number of signatures were collected, she would put the question to a referendum.

RELATED: 'AMERICAN INVASION': Flailing Canada PM Mark Carney invokes historical grudge in latest lob at Trump

Leah Hennel/Bloomberg/Getty Images

An Abacus Data survey of 1,000 Alberta adults conducted in late February found that 26% of respondents support Alberta ceasing to be a Canadian province and becoming a sovereign country. Sixty-four percent of respondents signaled opposition, and 9% said they were undecided. The idea of regional independence was apparently most intolerable to those in the 60+ age cohort, 71% of whom signaled opposition.

A poll conducted last month by Canadian state media, whose coverage has largely been critical of the independence movement, said that 57% of United Conservative Party voters — those who back Alberta's current ruling party — would vote for separation. Supporters of the province's socialist New Democrat Party were almost unanimous in their opposition to breaking from the federation and Canada's leftist central power, with 98% saying they would vote against the initiative.

When asked on Tuesday how he would prevent Albertan separatists from succeeding in a possible referendum, Prime Minister Carney said that "there's the rule of law — there's the Clarity Act which has been opined upon by the Supreme Court," and "any referenda in any part of Canada need to be consistent with that."

The Clarity Act sets out the conditions under which the federal government would negotiate the separation of a province.

Carney, who also appears hopeful that the Indian tribes' legal challenge might prevail, added that Ottawa will in the meantime act "in the spirit of cooperative federalism, making the country work, making it work for Albertans, making it work for indigenous peoples, making it work for all Canadians."

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More than 76,000 Canadians have been killed through MAID. One province has had enough.



The Canadian federal government under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau legalized medically assisted suicide nationwide in 2016.

As critics predicted, the state-facilitated suicide program — referred to as medical assistance in dying — was grossly liberalized in a short of period of time, maximizing both the number of accepted rationales and the number of those killed.

The province of Alberta appears keen to rein in Canada's sick experiment and protect its would-be victims, especially ahead of the Carney government's planned MAID eligibility expansion next year.

Background

In its first year, MAID offed 1,108 Canadians. That number tripled the following year, and by 2021, the number of Canadians killed by their government had climbed to over 10,000 in a single year.

'MAID should not be a substitute for robust health care.'

The Canadian government revealed in its latest MAID report that a total of 16,499 people were euthanized under the program in 2024, accounting for over 5% of all deaths in Canada that year. Of those euthanized, at least 4.4% nationally were not terminally ill. In Alberta, the number was 4.6%.

By the end of 2024, the number of Canadians who have died through MAID crested 76,000.

Originally, MAID applicants had to be 18 or older and suffering from a "grievous and irremediable medical condition" causing "enduring physical or psychological suffering that is intolerable" to them.

Within years, the country's eugenicist-founded health care system had given the green light to effectively execute those struggling with anxiety, autism, depression, economic hardship, PTSD, and other survivable issues.

RELATED: Canada’s conservative challenger Pierre Poilievre wins big on Joe Rogan's podcast

Mininyx Doodle/Getty Images

Persons suffering solely from a mental illness will be eligible for MAID beginning March 17, 2027.

Alberta takes action

Alberta Attorney General Mickey Amery, who is also the justice minister of the ruling United Conservative government, introduced legislation last month — the Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act — that would "increase oversight, introduce necessary safeguards, and provide greater clarity around eligibility requirements for medical assistance in dying ... in the province."

The bill would, among other things, prohibit MAID in Alberta for: persons under 18; persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness; individuals lacking the capacity to make their own health care decisions; and advance requests.

It would also prohibit euthanasia for individuals whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable; restrict the display of MAID propaganda; empower health practitioners and institutions to refuse participation in the euthanasia regime; and bar Alberta health professionals from referring individuals for MAID eligibility assessments outside the province.

The legislation would also introduce penalties for doctors and nurses who violate the proposed provincial rules.

"Canada has the fastest growing death rates in the world when it comes to MAID. Far from being an option of last resort, MAID is now the fifth leading cause of death in Canada," Amery told the Alberta Legislature last week. "The country is currently projected to reach its 100,000th death by MAID in June, becoming the first nation in the modern era to measure its total assisted deaths in the six figures, more than the totals of any other jurisdiction with some form of legal, doctor-assisted death."

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in a statement, "Those struggling with severe mental health challenges need treatment, compassion and support, not a path to end their life at what may be their lowest moment. In Alberta, a patient whose sole underlying condition is mental illness will not be eligible for MAID."

'The state refusing to fund and provide a killing service is the baseline.'

Rebecca Vachon, health program director for the Canadian think tank Cardus, said in a statement, "We support the adoption of these enhanced protections for Albertans and urge all legislators to work collaboratively to implement them."

While the Catholic Bishops of Alberta underscored that "the Church teaches that 'euthanasia and assisted suicide are always the wrong choice,'" they similarly characterized the bill as an important step in the right direction, stating, "A just society is one that protects the vulnerable, upholds the dignity of every person, and chooses to accompany them in times of illness and dying. The Alberta government is taking some significant steps that respect these necessary values."

Gabrielle Peters, a disabled writer and co-founder of Disability Filibuster, recently noted in a piece for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute,

The state refusing to fund and provide a killing service is the baseline we build from. Without that, there is simply no foundation. If disability — and only disability — makes one killable, then why would a state build the infrastructure, policies, and programs necessary to support disabled life? Particularly when one is an expense and the other represents considerable cost-saving?

Some euthanasia advocates have joined state media in framing the life-affirming legislation in negative terms.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, for instance, suggested that the legislation "would significantly restrict access to medical assistance in dying ... and undermine constitutionally protected rights."

Michael Trew, Alberta's former chief addiction and mental health officer, recently wrote that the bill "amounts to taking away choice from many who are fully competent" and that "this loss of choice INCREASES pain and suffering."

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Around The World, Assisted Suicide Laws Are Losing Support

Last week, Scotland resolutely rejected assisted suicide. Alberta announced major new legislation to protect individuals from the practice.

Charlie Kirk’s assassination ignites global fire: Patriots hold memorials from the UK to South Korea



The tragic assassination last week of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk sparked memorials in his honor not just across the nation, but around the globe.

Canadian patriots gathered in Calgary to sing the American national anthem and chant “USA” in memory of Kirk. Those in Alberta held a vigil and sang “Amazing Grace.”

‘He gave his life fighting for America’s future, and now his impact is multiplying. The political assassination of Charlie Kirk has backfired.’

Outside the U.S. embassy in Madrid, Spain, people placed candles, flowers, and posters to create a memorial to Kirk.

“Organizers described the tribute as part of a growing global movement standing against political violence and censorship,” entrepreneur and podcast host Mario Nawfal stated. “The event was peaceful, with a moment of silence held in Kirk’s memory. Supporters say this marks a turning point, not just in America, but worldwide.”

In South Korea, a large crowd gathered and marched through the streets, waving both South Korean and American flags. Participants chanted and held signs reading, “We are Charlie Kirk.”

RELATED: Charlie Kirk sparks viral Christian revival: 'I'm going to go take his seat for him'

Photo by Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images

Germans held a candlelight vigil in honor of Charlie Kirk outside the U.S. embassy in Berlin.

“Charlie Kirk is dead,” Martin C. T. Kohler, a German politician, wrote in a post on X, inviting individuals to join the vigil. “That is the bitter truth. We must not allow this to be the ending point. Charlie stood for freedom and debate. But first and foremost, he stood for his country and his faith.”

“We want to make a statement so that everyone can see what he died for. His death must not have been in vain,” Kohler continued. “Grief must not slip into resignation. We will carry on his message.”

A youth ambassador for TPUSA’s United Kingdom chapter known as “Young Bob” addressed the crowd that had gathered to hold a vigil for Kirk.

“The radical left have been persecuting the conservatives, who have one clear message: We want to conserve our culture and our heritage,” Young Bob stated.

“We will continue in civil discourse. We will continue his work. We will pick up the megaphones, the microphones, the stands. They won’t be able to move our minds by an inch,” he continued.

RELATED: TPUSA plans historic memorial for Charlie Kirk

Photo by James Willoughby/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Joel Jammal, the head of TPUSA Australia, shared a video montage from a vigil in Sydney. In the audio for the montage, a speaker addressed the gathering, stating, “How strange is it, so far away from the USA, that we should feel such sadness?”

“There will not be another man like Charlie Kirk,” the video continued. “Christ is King. Christ is the one that inspired Charlie. ‘Christ’ was one of the last things Charlie said. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. And until that is proclaimed throughout all the land, we will not be made great again as a nation.”

Memorials celebrating Kirk’s legacy were also held in Tel Aviv and New Zealand.

Benny Johnson reacted to the memorials.

“From prayer vigils on college campuses to murals and memorials around the globe, Charlie’s influence is spreading further than ever,” Johnson said. “He gave his life fighting for America’s future, and now his impact is multiplying. The political assassination of Charlie Kirk has backfired. He is more powerful now than ever. That’s the power of a martyr.”

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Trump touches down in Canada for G7 summit. Here's what's on the menu.



The Group of Seven is an informal bloc of first-world nations consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. that has met since the 1970s to coordinate on matters of international security, human rights, economic governance, and technological matters.

Amid rising military tensions between Israel and Iran, unresolved tensions between Ukraine and Russia, and ongoing extranational vexation over his tariff strategy, President Donald Trump touched down in Canada on Sunday for this year's summit in Kananaskis, an unincorporated Alberta community in the Rocky Mountains.

Leaders from various non-G7 member nations will also be present at the summit, including leaders from Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico, and Ukraine.

A senior U.S. official told Blaze News that Canada "worked with G7 colleagues to craft short, action-oriented leaders' statements on key issues of common interest. Working discussions will, but not limited to, cover trade and the global economy, critical minerals, migrant and drug smuggling, wildfires, international security, artificial intelligence, and energy security."

These topics correspond to the priorities for the summit identified by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's office earlier this month. The prime minister's office noted that other discussions will include a "just and lasting peace for Ukraine and other areas of conflict around the world."

"The president is eager to continue to pursue his goals in all of these areas, including making America's trade relationships fair and reciprocal, unlocking new markets for American energy exports, and positioning the U.S. to be the world leader and international partner of choice on AI technologies," the senior American official told Blaze News.

The official added, "We appreciate Canada’s cooperation in the planning of this summit and their choice of a gorgeous location in Kananaskis for these important conversations."

RELATED: Listen up, America: Everything you've been told about Canada is a lie

Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Officials from the host country, which Trump has slapped with numerous tariffs in recent months and repeatedly suggested should become the 51st state in the union, appear keen to ensure that the president has a good time to avoid a repeat of the kind of breakdown of goodwill that followed the 2018 G7 summit in Quebec.

Trump left that summit early after reportedly suggesting to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that an injection of 25 million Mexicans into Japan would lose Abe his next election and telling French President Emmanuel Macron during a conversation on Iran and terrorism that Macron had a special familiarity because "all the terrorists are in Paris." Trump then remotely torpedoed a joint G7 statement on account of what he claimed were "false statements" from former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who he emphasized was "weak."

'Press reports stress that the participating countries are trying to bend over backward to avoid antagonizing President Trump.'

"The backdrop to this G7 are the tensions between the U.S. and the other G7 members," Christopher Layne, professor of international affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, told Blaze News. "The leading causes of division are Ukraine, President Trump's tariffs, and the administration's apparent break from the institutions and norms upon which the post-1945 liberal rules-based international order rested."

Layne noted that the G7s Trump attended in his first term were "openly acrimonious."

"In an attempt to avert a rupture this time, Canada, the host country, determined that there will be no joint communique issued when the meeting ends," continued Layne. "Press reports stress that the participating countries are trying to bend over backward to avoid antagonizing President Trump. In this atmosphere, it is unlikely that the meeting will produce any major breakthroughs, though the U.S. will seek progress on several issues, including trade/tariffs, drug smuggling, and migration flows."

Carney — the self-identified "European" World Economic Forum regular who all but guaranteed British economic decline while governor of the Bank of England, then replaced Justin Trudeau to become Canadian prime minister in March — met Sunday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Ottawa and agreed to establish an economic and trade working group and to strengthen military cooperation both bilaterally and through NATO.

RELATED: The Great Reset just got a North American enforcer in Ottawa

Trump at the G7 in Charlevoix, Canada, in 2018. Photo by Jesco Denzel /Bundesregierung via Getty Images

Carney then headed west for his one-on-one meeting Monday morning with Trump ahead of the official start of the summit.

A day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Anita Anand, the Canadian minister of foreign affairs, affirmed the "important relationship" between their respective nations, Carney welcomed Trump to the summit, wishing both the president and the U.S. Army happy belated birthdays and emphasizing the importance of American leadership at the G7, which is apparently celebrating its 50th birthday.

'I'm sure we can work something out.'

Trump once again bemoaned the removal of Russia from the G8 following its invasion of Crimea, noting that talks about Russia would be easier with it representatives at the table.

"The G7 used to be the G8. Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn't want to have Russia in," said Trump. "And I would say that that was a mistake, because I think you wouldn't have a war right now if you had Russia in, and you wouldn't have a war right now if Trump were president four years ago."

— (@)

Concerning the immediate talks ahead, Trump told reporters, "Our primary focus will be trade, and trade with Canada."

"I'm sure we can work something out," said the president, emphasizing that he's a "tariff person," while Carney "has a more complex idea but also very good."

Carney's office did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

Professor Layne suggested to Blaze News that "even though this is not formally a NATO conference, President Trump is certain to push for increased defense spending from U.S. allies in East Asia and Europe."

"President Trump approaches multilateral fora with extreme skepticism," Rachel Rizzo, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Europe Center, told CNN. "He does not view these organizations as ways to deepen and expand American power and influence. He sees these fora as constraining America, and I think that’s something to remember as he goes into this. He is skeptical towards the G7’s consensus-driven approach."

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World Economic Forum regular Mark Carney's win energizes Canadian secessionists in Alberta



In addition to unlawfully declaring martial law to crush a peaceful protest, Canada's Liberal government has in recent years overseen a historic growth of the federal deficit, numerous tax hikes, an unprecedented influx of immigrants, a spike in illegal immigration, rising crime, unanswered church burnings, a worsening housing crisis, coercive medicine, the rise of state-facilitated suicide as a leading cause of death nationally, and the alienation of the western provinces.

The socioeconomic situation is apparently so dire, a recent government report detailing the nation's "downward social mobility" noted that some residents may soon have to turn to foraging and hunting to meet basic food needs.

Canadians — not so much those in the 18-to-34 age bracket who largely voted Conservative, but those over the age of 55 — decided in the federal election Monday to award the same Liberal government another four years. They may have done so at the risk of ultimately losing one or a couple of provinces.

'Large numbers of Westerners simply will not stand for another four years of Liberal government.'

The success of the Liberals — now under the leadership of Mark Carney, the self-identified "European" World Economic Forum regular who all but guaranteed British economic decline while governor of the Bank of England — has breathed new life into the Alberta secessionist movement.

Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party of Canada and a former leader of the opposition in the House of Commons, noted ahead of the election, "On account of the mismanagement of national affairs for the past decade by the Liberal government, and its consistent failure to address those issues of greatest concern to Western Canadians, large numbers of Westerners simply will not stand for another four years of Liberal government, no matter who leads it."

"The support for Western secession is therefore growing, unabated and even fueled by Liberal promises to reverse many of their previous positions. Such promises of expediency simply don't ring true in the West," continued Manning. "Who, except the most politically naive, would believe Mark Carney's promises to reverse the Liberal positions on everything from east-west pipelines to identity politics and climate change, when standing behind him is a cabinet of 23 MPs who, just a month ago, were advocating for the very opposite and have done so for years?"

The former opposition leader noted further that while the bottom-up support for western secession is currently centered on the oil-rich prairie provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, "it has the potential to spread to most of B.C., Manitoba, and the adjacent territories depending on how it is organized and led."

A day after the federal election, Alberta lawmakers introduced legislation that would make it easier to start a referendum, including one on separating from Canada, reported CityNews.

The bill lowers the threshold for a citizen-led referendum from 20% of eligible voters to 10% and affords campaigners 120 days rather than 90 days to secure signatures.

'Now is the time to end the abusive and toxic relationship with Ottawa.'

"I believe in Alberta sovereignty within a united Canada," said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. "However, there is a citizen referenda process that if citizens want to put a question on a ballot and get enough of their fellow citizens to sign that petition, then those questions will be put forward. Again, I don't want to prejudge what a question might be."

While Smith is apparently not a separatist, Alberta — home to the fourth-largest proven oil reserves in the world — has its fair share who might vote to leave.

When pollsters from the Angus Reid Institute asked Albertans whether they would vote to leave Canada if the Liberals were to form the next government, 30% of respondents said yes. Notably, even more Saskatchewan respondents — 33% — expressed interest in leaving the federation behind.

Cameron Davies, the leader of the Republican Party of Alberta, formerly the Buffalo Party of Alberta, is reportedly planning hundreds of town halls to seize upon this discontent and to promote secession.

"After decades of attempts at reconciliation with the rest of Canada, now is the time to end the abusive and toxic relationship with Ottawa and the east that we find ourselves in today," Davies told CityNews.

Davies, a former organizer for Smith's party who also spent five years in the U.S. Marine Corps, told Ricochet, "I am shocked, actually, by the number of people that I've had conversations with — at town halls, coffee meetings, dinner parties — that have said, 'I've never thought myself a separatist, but I think that might be our only choice left.'"

"In the last couple dozen events that we've conducted — low-key organizing, having interesting meetings with diverse groups across the province — the party's membership has exploded by an additional 8,000 in the last three and a half weeks. And that's without a lot of effort," added Davies.

While the future of Davies' party is uncertain, it's abundantly clear from Monday's election results that there's no love lost for the Carney Liberals in Alberta.

With 172 seats required for a majority, the Liberal Party came out on top with 169 seats and 49.3% of the vote. Conservatives, lead by Pierre Poilievre, lagged behind by nearly 480,000 votes, netting 144 seats and 42% of the total vote.

'Threatening to leave the country because you don’t get your desired electoral outcome is counterproductive and unpatriotic.'

Urban hives and regions heavily reliant on the government for jobs or welfare apparently skewed Liberal. Rural, industrial, and younger areas of the country appear to have picked the Conservatives.

The Conservatives netted 91.9% of the vote in Alberta, the province with the youngest population. The Liberals alternatively brought in a measly 5.4%.

Premier Smith said in a statement Tuesday, "A large majority of Albertans are deeply frustrated that the same government that overtly attacked our provincial economy almost unabated for the past 10 years has been returned to government."

"In the weeks and months ahead, Albertans will have an opportunity to discuss our province's future, assess various options for strengthening and protecting our province against future hostile acts from Ottawa, and to ultimately choose a path forward," added Smith.

Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney recently blasted those considering the path forward that leads Alberta out of Canada, telling reporters, "Threatening to leave the country because you don’t get your desired electoral outcome is counterproductive and unpatriotic. And I don't think it's something that should be thrown around."

"Nor should central Canadian political elites be dismissive of the very legitimate grievances that people in the West and Alberta have about the attacks on our energy industry," added Kenney.

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If Canada turns down US statehood, what about just oil-rich Alberta?



If Canada won't take Donald Trump up on his offer to become the 51st state, one Canadian has a counteroffer: What about just Alberta?

Foothills, Alberta, lawyer Jeffrey Rath says he and a lot of Albertans have “had it” with the Trudeau government and, increasingly, even with Canada itself. He says if Canada isn’t interested in becoming the 51st state, then Alberta should accept President Donald Trump’s invitation.

'We're fed up, and we see no reason to continue being governed by complete idiots from Ontario and Quebec who don't even know where their oil comes from.'

As he wrote in a recent Substack post:

With the election of Donald Trump, Alberta has a unique opportunity to shed its inferior status as a Canadian "province" (effectively a colony of Ontario and Quebec) and become an American state.

There is no doubt that President Donald Trump would happily announce Alberta statehood as the greatest real estate deal since the Louisiana Purchase as the culmination of the American 250th anniversary celebration.

First steps

Rath has organized a blue-ribbon committee to move Alberta first on the road to independence and then to join the United States.

“We've had, I've said, several steering committee meetings today. I mean, I'm working with people. We're putting together a package of materials and briefing notes and those types of things," he told Align.

"We don't want to go down there [to Washington] and come across as anything other than serious professionals with a serious professional message that we want to deliver."

Although the immediate catalyst for Rath's plan was Trump's offer — as well as the current tariff crisis and trade war with the U.S. — Rath said he’s “been feeling this way” for three years at least.

Remember the Freedom Convoy

“I have to say, it really came to a head for me when [Canadian Prime Minister] Justin Trudeau unnecessarily declared the War Measures Act against my fellow Albertans who simply went to Ottawa to peacefully protest,” Rath said, in reference to Trudeau invoking the Emergencies Act to crush the Freedom Convoy, a trucker-based protest against the COVID-19 mandates that was centered in Canada’s capital of Ottawa in February 2022.

Rath called Trudeau’s draconian measure "an anti-Canadian unconstitutional violation of our rights. … You know, we need to take our dirty, smelly diesel trucks and our dirty, smelly oil and go home, or face 10 years in an Ontario prison.”

Rath is also furious over the federal government's talk of using Alberta oil and gas to fight Trump’s tariff — despite Canadian law giving provinces jurisdiction over their natural resources.

"We're fed up, and we see no reason to continue being governed by complete idiots from Ontario and Quebec who don't even know where their oil comes from."

Ignorant threats

As evidence of this ignorance, Rath cited the federal government's threat in January to cut oil exports from Alberta to the U.S., a move that rankled local leadership.

"They were all too dumb to know that their own oil comes from Alberta, goes down through Michigan, up through Line 9 Illinois, and then back into Ontario and Quebec. So if they shut off Alberta oil, they would effectively be doing what a lot of Albertans suggested that we should do [in the first place] … let the Eastern bastards freeze in the dark."

Rath also slammed Ontario Premier Doug Ford for his continued threats to shut off the electricity to the U.S., saying doing so would constitute an "act of war."

"If you crash the northeast power grid, there's going to be at least 500 or 600 deaths, whether it's from traffic lights going out or ventilators [at hospitals] failing."

COVID all over again?

Rath compared the current euphoria over counter-tariffs against the U.S. to the pro-vaccine groupthink that dominated the country's media and government during the COVID pandemic. Like the vaccine, counter-tariffs are not the cure for what ails Canada.

For that, Rath suggests Canadians look closer to home.

“Everybody keeps forgetting that the Trudeau junta is preparing to slap us all with a 21% increase in the carbon tax in April."

Rath said this carbon tax would likely cripple the Canadian economy far more than any of Trump's tariffs. "It's right across the board on all energy, all home heating, trucks, cars, anything people need to go to work,” Rath told Align.

“And maybe the reason that Trudeau is so mad about this and thinks it's the end of Canada is because he doesn't want to back off on his 21% carbon tax. He's already booked that and cooked that into the books.”

Check out the full interview with Rath below:

Trump demands construction of Biden-canceled Keystone XL Pipeline — but confidence to build may require big changes



President Donald Trump suggested Monday evening that he wants the Keystone XL Pipeline, which former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden both sought to kill, built "NOW!"

"Our Country's doing really well, and today, I was just thinking, that the company building the Keystone XL Pipeline that was viciously jettisoned by the incompetent Biden Administration should come back to America, and get it built — NOW!" Trump wrote on Truth Social, roughly a month after telling the World Economic Forum that America does not need Canada's oil or gas.

Trump added, "I know they were treated very badly by Sleepy Joe Biden, but the Trump Administration is very different — Easy approvals, almost immediate start! If not them, perhaps another Pipeline Company. We want the Keystone XL Pipeline built!"

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith welcomed the idea, stating, "That project should never have been cancelled. Lower fuel costs for American families is a big win."

The premier of the adjacent prairie province of Saskatchewan, Scott Moe, suggested that the pipeline, unlike the 10% tariff Trump has threatened to place on Canadian exports of crude oil, is a good idea.

"The path to continental energy dominance is to increase non-tariff North American trade," noted Moe. "This includes the construction of new pipelines like Keystone XL."

Daniel Turner, founder and executive director of the energy advocacy organization Power the Future, told Blaze News that Biden's 2021 revocation of TC Energy Corporation's cross-border permission to build the pipeline has so shaken confidence in the American government's willingness and ability to honor deals with the private sector that it will take more than an optimistic social media post to make things happen.

The proposed 1,179-mile Keystone XL Pipeline would have carried Canadian crude oil from the province of Alberta, which has the fourth-largest proven oil reserves in the world, to Steele City, Nebraska, where an existing pipeline would route the profitable resource to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas.

The existing Keystone Pipeline System already sends over 590,000 barrels of crude oil daily to refineries in Illinois and Texas. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, the proposed KXL pipeline would increase the system's capacity to at least 830,000 barrels of oil per day, add several billion dollars to America's GDP, reduce American reliance on production from South American and Middle Eastern countries, and create tens of thousands of jobs.

To the delight of climate alarmists, former President Barack Obama rejected the project in 2015, refusing to grant the cross-border permit needed to proceed. Obama claimed at the time that the pipeline "would not serve the national interests of the United States," even though his own State Department admitted months earlier that the project would create about 42,000 jobs.

'He put the faith and credit of the United States government in question when it comes to these types of projects going forward.'

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, also a climate alarmist, did not appear too bent out of shape by the bad news.

While the Trudeau government convivially accepted the costly decree from south of the border, TC Energy launched a $15 billion lawsuit seeking compensation under NAFTA.

Upon taking office in 2017, Trump reversed the Obama administration's decision and gave TC Energy the green light to proceed, stating, "It's a great day for job and energy independence."

TC Energy quickly dropped its lawsuit.

In the two years that followed, development costs exceeded $1.5 billion.

Despite the billions of dollars invested, the guarantee of greater capacity, and the construction of 93 miles of pipeline, President Joe Biden killed the project within hours of taking his oath of office in 2021 — a decision the America First Policy Institute indicated deprived nearly 60,000 people of direct and indirect construction and engineering jobs.

Turner noted in a Tuesday article in the Federalist that the same Democratic politicians and liberal media outfits now bemoaning the Trump administration for firing scores of bureaucrats then celebrated Biden's elimination of tens of thousands of pipeline jobs.

After 12 years of runarounds from Democrats and activist judges stateside, TC Energy finally threw up its hands in June 2021 and officially canceled the project. Alberta later filed for damages, citing the Biden administration's alleged breach of Canadian-U.S. trade agreements.

Turner told Blaze News that Biden "didn't just stop a pipeline. He put the faith and credit of the United States government in question when it comes to these types of projects going forward. I can't blame the operators of Keystone or any other company who doesn't trust the American government now for anything that's going to take more than one presidential term."

There are, however, two possible fixes that could restore private sector companies' confidence, suggested Turner.

"One, they should figure out some sort of bonding mechanism where the government floats a bond for the equivalent construction costs, and they are willing to forfeit the bond if they withdraw their permissions," said Turner. "If you did something like that where the government said, 'Look, we'll sign this contract to set aside or to reimburse you if we change permission,' well now you tie the hands of the future president — you let the government know if they reverse course, there are financial hardships."

Accordingly, if a Democratic president harboring the same climate alarmist sensibilities as Obama and Biden were to take office in 2028, then such a bonding mechanism would protect companies and regional stakeholders from losing billions of dollars in a White House-canceled project as the TC Energy and Alberta had with the KXL.

Turner noted that another potential fix would entail Congress reclaiming the authority the U.S. State Department now wields over pipelines that cross borders.

"Congress can just reclaim that authority and say, 'You know, this is something for the Commerce Committee, something for Senate Committee on Foreign Relations," said Turner. "Congress can put in the legislative fix so that it is the American people, through their legislators, who approve such permits moving forward."

Without such fixes, Turner suggested the risk for companies of sinking billions of dollars into projects that an ideologue could unilaterally annul with the flick of a pen is simply not worth it.

"It's going to take more than just President Trump saying let's start it up again. It's going to take an act of government to guarantee people that this will not happen again," said the energy advocate.

Until then, "It's easier to build a refinery in Dubai or China. It's easier to open up in Venezuela or somewhere else — the North Sea."

Bloomberg reported that South Bow Corp., the oil business spun off from TC Energy, indicated it is not interested in a revival of the project, especially since key permits have expired.

A spokeswoman for the company said the company has "moved on from the Keystone XL project."

Blaze News reached out to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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