Canada is no stranger to separatism but push for Alberta to join US is a new peril

"A separatist push for a referendum on independence from Canada. Meetings with foreign officials perceived to be sympathetic to their cause. Accusations of treason and sedition. Ahead of a 1995 referendum, leaders of Quebec's independence movement made a string of provocative overtures to foreign governments, including a trip by the province's premier to France. In a move that outraged anglophone Canada, the mayor of Paris gave Quebec's Jacques Parizeau a welcome befitting a national leader."

"Proto-diplomacy the act of courting sympathetic countries for support has often been undertaken by separatist movements around the world, said Andre Lecours, a professor of political science at the University of Ottawa. There have been criticisms of this for sure, but when actively preparing a referendum on independence, leaders often look abroad in an attempt to secure sympathy or support. They want some signs or assurances that foreign states would be ready to recognize their independence."

"To go to a foreign country and to ask for assistance in breaking up Canada, there's an old-fashioned word for that, British Columbia's premier, David Eby, told reporters. And that word is treason. But the recently revealed contacts with the Trump administration by members of Alberta's nascent independence movement had few substantive parallels with Quebec's attempts in the 1990s, he said. What makes this movement so different is that none of these people associated with Alberta's push for independence are democratically elected."

A separatist push in Alberta prompted covert contacts with US officials that revived anxieties about foreign involvement in Canadian unity. Similar provocations occurred in 1995 when Quebec leaders courted sympathetic foreign governments; Paris's mayor publicly welcomed Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau, angering anglophone Canada. British Columbia's premier labeled seeking foreign assistance to break up Canada as treason. Scholars describe proto-diplomacy as common for movements preparing independence referendums, seeking assurances of foreign recognition. Analysts note a key difference in Alberta's case: its organizers are not elected officials, limiting parallels with Quebec's elected-leader outreach.

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