Trump administration staying out of Alberta separation referendum, ambassador says

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra taking part in the PNWER (Pacific Northwest Economic Region) Annual Summit, in Edmonton Monday July 20, 2026. Photo by David Bloom /Postmedia

Article content

The Trump administration is staying out of the upcoming referendum on Alberta’s future in Canada, the U.S. ambassador to Canada says.

Article content

Article content

Article content

“The vote that’s going to happen in October is a decision for the people of Alberta,” Hoekstra told local talk show host Ryan Jespersen.

Article content

Article content

“If (the referendum) is going to be influenced by governments, it’s going to be influenced by the government of Alberta and by the federal government, and maybe the other provinces, but not by the United States government,” he said.

Article content

Article content

Hoekstra said he had “clear direction from Washington” not to try to influence the referendum.

Article content

Article content

The visit comes three months ahead of a referendum in which Albertans will be asked whether the province should stay in Canada or start the legal process to hold a binding independence referendum.

Article content

Some Alberta separatists say they have made multiple trips to Washington, D.C. over the past 15 months to meet with contacts in the U.S. government. Some critics have implied the Trump administration is engaging in “foreign interference” by meeting with separatists while intelligence watchers have warned there is a risk of disinformation campaigns from foreign powers. However, Premier Danielle Smith said in May she had seen “‘no credible evidence” of any state actors trying to manipulate the referendum debate.

Article content

Article content

Hoekstra said that, while he was aware of the purported Washington meetings, U.S. officials sitting down with Alberta separatists doesn’t in itself constitute foreign interference.

Article content

Article content

“(We) meet with people from all over,” said Hoekstra. “You get calls and request to meet with folks and… if they’re people that are working on issues that may have an impact on U.S. relations, there’s a good chance we’ll meet with them, just to get some kind of perspective.”

Article content

Hoekstra laughed sarcastically when Jespersen likened the meetings to a taxpayer-funded anti-tariff ad the Ontario government ran in the U.S. last fall, ahead of the 2025 off-year elections that led to the president suspending trade negotiations with Canada.

Article content

“Compared to a provincial government and Canadian taxpayers running (political) ads in the United States of America? You’re equating those two? C’mon, that’s not even close!” said Hoekstra.

Article content

“(U.S. President) Donald Trump and the administration hasn’t given me a pot of money that says, ‘hey Pete, if there’s an interesting election or by-election, here’s $50,000, go spend it,'” he added.