Republican operatives tied to President Donald Trump's 2024 win in Michigan have been quietly helping Alberta separatists in their push to split from Canada, a new investigation found.
The Globe and Mail reported Saturday that GOP strategists from Michigan, part of the operation that helped Trump carry the state, flew to Calgary in January for an invitation-only meeting with separatist leaders. They pitched 10X Votes, voter-targeting software built for Republicans, as a way to swing Alberta's Oct. 19 independence referendum.
The Michigan link reaches into the administration.
Trump's ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, chaired the Michigan Republican Party before taking the post, and a separatist organizer has claimed people tied to Hoekstra advised his group. Hoekstra has said he was unaware of the relationship and told the Globe he had "zero involvement with 10X Votes in Canada." That organizer's group is now at the center of a breach of Albertans' voter records.
Separatist leaders also met State Department officials in Washington three times last year. A co-founder of the Alberta Prosperity Project told the Globe the group floated a document offering the U.S. access to Alberta's fresh water, oil royalties, a Pacific pipeline and land for a railway to Alaska. Jeffrey Rath, who arranged the meetings, disputes that, saying the talks were general, but he described a friendly reception.
"We were gratified by the expressions of enthusiasm by U.S. officials and the fact that Citizens of Alberta receive a far warmer welcome in Washington than we would ever receive in Ottawa," Rath wrote on social media.
Trump's inner circle has openly cheered the idea.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in January that "we should let them come down into the U.S.," calling Alberta "a natural partner." Trump himself has repeatedly pushed for Canada to become the 51st state.
The State Department has downplayed the contacts, telling NBC News they were staff-level meetings with no senior officials involved and no commitments made.
Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, who led the province's conservative party, delivered a candid assessment.
"There's lots of ways to send a message about the need for reform in the federation, without turning these MAGA bootlickers into a major part of Alberta politics," Kenney said.
Support for separation has never held above 30% in Alberta polling.