Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Thursday (29 January) he expected the U.S. administration to respect Canadian sovereignty, after reports that U.S. officials met Alberta separatists.
The Financial Times said State Department officials had held three meetings with the Alberta Prosperity Project, a group that is pushing for a referendum on whether the energy-producing Western province should break away from Canada.
"We expect the U.S. administration to respect Canadian sovereignty. I'm always clear in my conversations with President Trump to that effect," Carney told a press conference.
Trump, he added, had never raised the question of Alberta separatism with him.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she wanted to stay part of Canada but noted that polls show 30% of the population was fed up with what it saw as Ottawa's excessive interference.
Alberta is landlocked and Smith is pressing for another oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast. That would have to cross the neighbouring province of British Columbia, whose Premier David Eby has ruled out the idea.
Eby, whose relations with Smith are usually chilly, told reporters earlier that "to go to a foreign country and to ask for assistance in breaking up Canada ... is treason".
Last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a radio station, "I think we should let them come down into the U.S."
Asked about a possible Alberta referendum, he replied, "People want sovereignty. They want what the U.S. has got."
Carney and Trump have repeatedly traded barbs in recent weeks. Carney, who calls the U.S. president a skilled negotiator, suggests some of Trump's recent comments could be tied to a review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact that is due to start later this year.
Iran's military has threatened to launch sustained attacks on U.S. bases and interests across the Middle East if Washington resumes milita...
Iranian judicial authorities have shut a French language centre in Tehran linked to the French Embassy, accusing it of “illegal activities&rd...
Ankara and Washington are considering “creative ideas” to resolve U.S. sanctions imposed over Türkiye’s purchase of Russia&r...
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
Iran's military has threatened to launch sustained attacks on U.S. bases and interests across the Middle East if Washington resumes military action against Tehran.
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is under preliminary investigation in France over a suspected conflict of interest linked to the 2024 sale of Ligue 1 broadcasting rights.
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.
Russian parliamentary elections have delivered a comfortable win to the ruling United Russia party, which is closely aligned to President Vladimir Putin. With more than 95 per cent of ballots counted, United Russia has taken 57.83 per cent of the vote, up from the 49.8 per cent it won in 2021.
A powerful typhoon was approaching Japan’s Pacific coast on Monday, bringing torrential rain, strong winds and a heightened risk of landslides across the Kanto region, including Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 21 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in sports.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment