Trump’s America Comes for Alberta

The Trump administration is trying to break up Canada.

The U.S. secretary of the treasury, Scott Bessent, inserted himself directly into Canada’s internal political affairs by talking enthusiastically about a movement to break up the country in an interview with longtime right-wing agitator Jack Posobiec.

This is not an isolated incident. Others in the administration’s orbit have said similar things. It is not just talk, either, as it follows claims by Albertan separatist activists that they have been speaking with members of the U.S. administration, who have allegedly expressed support for their cause.

This is an unambiguous and flagrant violation of Canadian sovereignty. It is going to get worse, and Canadians who wish to see the country remain intact need to respond.

Make no mistake — Trump’s America is coming for Alberta.

This requires a response at the federal, provincial and community levels. Federally, the government must summon the ambassador for an explanation and, absent a satisfactory explanation, retraction and apology, expel him in protest of the outrage. The federal government must also rally international support for Canadian independence, striking while the iron remains hot off of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s widely lauded speech in Davos last Tuesday.

Provincially, the Alberta government needs to pick a side. Are Premier Danielle Smith and the United Conservative Party loyal to Canada, or are they separatists? The time for ambiguity on this question is over. Albertans and Canadians alike deserve to know where the provincial government stands.

If they are loyal Canadians, they need to clearly articulate the outrage they feel at this violation of Canadian sovereignty, this brazen interference in our country’s politics.

Conversely, if they think the secretary of the treasury makes good arguments, then they need to be open about that fact, so Albertan voters can understand who they have elected, and the rest of the country can understand the kind of government they are dealing with. If it is in fact a separatist party, the UCP ought to show the courage of their convictions and say as much out loud.

At the level of the individual and community, Albertans and Canadians are not powerless, either. Canadians who want to stay Canadian can and must organize and make it clear in no uncertain terms that we will not tolerate U.S. interference in our country’s domestic politics.

Cometh the rupture

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney described a rupture in global politics fundamentally reshaping the use of power around the world. At base, the source of that rupture is a simple one: the United States under its current leadership recognizes neither law nor friendship.

In the mind of the U.S. president and the people he has put in power around him, laws and conventions do not matter. Only power does. The administration can do anything unless someone stops it. The concept of sovereign self-government is foreign to them. Indeed, democracy itself is treated as an obstacle to be overcome, not a set of rules to be carefully followed and safeguarded.

For this president, there is no such thing as friendship, either. The world consists only of predators, lackeys and prey — and lackeys inevitably become prey themselves the moment they outlive their usefulness.

In his speech, Carney made it clear that Canada would not be a lackey. Using a phrase he borrowed from Václav Havel, he asserted the country would not “keep the sign in the window” anymore.

This is the first of many tests of that resolve. There is no bargaining with such people, for there will be no respect for any agreement even if one is reached.

The only recourse is firm, principled, unwavering opposition to predation.

That is as true for Americans who wish to retain — or more accurately to restore — their democratic institutions as it is for Canadians who wish to remain masters of their own house.

Stopping President Roomba

The world has spent years trying to figure out Trump’s motives. Is a given threat serious? Is it a cunning initial bargaining position? Would he really follow through with some given threat?

The reality is much simpler. The president of the United States is like a Roomba. His actions are not strategic. They’re often not even particularly tactical. He simply pushes in a direction, consuming what he can. When he runs into opposition he turns and starts devouring in another direction. Sooner or later, though, he always circles back, and the cycle repeats.

To anyone asking “Would he really...” the answer is always “Yes, unless others stop him.”

He is driven by appetite, devouring endlessly. Whether it’s real estate, gold, fast food, applause and adulation, crypto, women’s bodies, Venezuelan oil or Greenland, he has demonstrated that he will never stop himself; he can be stopped only by others.

The good news is that opposition works. There are many examples of Trump reversing course when opposition emerges; Greenland is just the most recent spectacular example.

The problem is the opposition has to be consistent, because the demands never stop. The Roomba always circles back and tries again. Response therefore requires a strategy of containment directed at the administration of a once great democracy now repurposed to service one man’s ego.

Canada’s turn over the barrel has come, and much depends on how Canadians respond. We have friends and allies around the world — including in the United States — and they will stand with us.

But only if we first stand up for ourselves.