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"I think we should let them come down into the U.S. and Alberta's a natural partner for the U.S.," he said.

"They have great resources. The Albertans are very independent people," Bessent said, adding there's a "rumour that they may have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not."

When asked if he knew something about it, Bessent said, "People are talking. People want sovereignty. They want what the U.S. has got."

Some organizers of the Alberta independence movement have claimed they have had meetings with members of the Trump administration, although they have not disclosed any names. Their message has started to spread among MAGA influencers online, and among Republicans broadly.

Andy Ogles, a Republican congressman in Tennessee, told a BBC panel earlier this week that the people of Alberta would "prefer not to be a part of Canada and be a part of the United States because we are winning day in and day out."

The Alberta independence movement is collecting signatures to trigger a referendum. The question that referendum would ask is whether Alberta should be independent — not whether it should join the United States.

Mitch Sylvestre, who is spearheading the petition for a referendum, said Friday he doesn't think anyone in his movement wants to join the U.S.

"People want sovereignty, and that's what people in the U.S. have, but we want sovereignty independent of the U.S," he said.

Sylvestre said he thought Bessent was pointing out the obvious by calling Alberta and the U.S. "natural partners," given the amount of trade they exchange.

Sylvestre said U.S. officials should be paying attention to what's happening in Alberta — but he'd rather they didn't comment on his push for independence.

"Alberta on its own will do very well," he said. "A free-trade agreement with the U.S. would probably be good for both sides. Good for us for sure."

Bessent's comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump rescinded the invitation for Canada to take part in his "Board of Peace" following Prime Minister Mark Carney's widely praised speech at the World Economic Forum.

In a post on social media Thursday night, Trump did not explain why he was withdrawing Carney's invitation — the latest upheaval in the relationship between Canada and the United States.

Trump cancelled trade talks with Canada in October, angered by an Ontario-sponsored ad featuring former president Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs. Members of the Trump administration claimed the ad amounted to Canada meddling in U.S. politics.

The White House has not responded to questions about Bessent's Thursday comments, or whether it amounts to a U.S. official meddling in ºÃÉ«tv politics.

When asked about what Bessent said, Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon replied that Carney has laid out how Ottawa is diversifying trade and playing its role as a middle power to ensure "we have a strong economy to make the decisions that keep our country sovereign."

"And that does not mean that you reply to any comment. We can control what we control," he said in Quebec City. 

This report by ºÃÉ«tvwas first published Jan. 23, 2026. 

— with files from Catherine Morrison in Quebec City and Jack Farrell in Edmonton

Note to readers:This is a corrected story. A previous version said U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made his comments today (Friday.)