Reference News, January 30 - According to AFP, on January 29, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he looked forward to the U.S. government "respecting Canadian sovereignty." This came after media reports revealed that U.S. State Department officials had met with separatists from Alberta, Canada.

According to the Financial Times, the United States organized three secret meetings in Washington with the "Alberta Advantage" organization. The latter has launched a petition campaign demanding a referendum to push for the independence of this western oil province of Canada.

A senior official from the U.S. State Department explained that the department regularly holds meetings with "civil society figures." He said: "This was also a routine meeting and no commitments were made."

This information came out as U.S.-Canadian relations have become very tense. Since returning to the White House, President Trump has launched a trade war against his northern ally and has repeatedly threatened to annex Canada. Some within his camp believe that supporting Alberta first would lead Canada into chaos.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently seemed to support the idea of Alberta's independence. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, he said it was "a natural partnership" for the United States to treat it as a country.

The premier of British Columbia, the neighboring province of Alberta, David Iceton, expressed anger on January 29, calling the actions of Alberta's separatists "treasonous." He said: "It is entirely inappropriate to try to weaken Canada and seek help from foreign powers to stir up the country. By the way, it is also seeking help from a president who does not respect Canadian sovereignty."

The "Alberta Advantage" organization has launched a petition: it aims to collect 178,000 signatures by May 2 to hold a referendum. Unlike the well-organized Quebec separatists, who have existed for decades, Alberta separatists are a recent phenomenon and are not unified internally. To date, the organization has not been considered a serious threat to Canada's unity and stability. Many polls show that only one-third of Albertans would vote for independence. (Translated by Lu Longjun)

Original source: toutiao.com/article/7601046021875040819/

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