Carney says he expects U.S. to respect Canadian sovereignty

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he expects the Trump administration to respect Canadian sovereignty after hosting the First Minister’s meeting Thursday.

He was asked about an Alberta separatist group meeting with the Trump administration — a series of meetings that British Columbia’s premier called treason.

The issue stole the spotlight at the press conference following today’s first ministers meeting.

The issue stole the spotlight at the press conference following today’s first ministers meeting.

The prime minister echoed the words of Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith.

“I would expect that the U.S. administration respect Canadian sovereignty, and that they would confine their discussion about Alberta’s democratic process to Albertans,” said Smith.

They were asked about a Financial Times report saying there have been three meetings between the leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project and White House officials.

That Alberta independence group has been courting American officials for financial support, as they promote a referendum petition.

British Columbia Premier David Eby called it treason.

“In my opinion that is treasonous activity and it needs to be called out, it needs to be stopped,” said Eby.

Smith didn’t agree, saying, “I’m not going to demonize or marginalize a million of my fellow citizens, when they’ve got legitimate grievances.”

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Smith and Eby are also at loggerheads over Alberta’s desire for a new oil pipeline to the B.C. coast to get more oil to Asian markets.

“I suppose we could sell more to the United States, but why we’re all here is we’re trying to find a way to trade with each other, and help each other and find new markets,” said Smith.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew pushed back against the media’s focus on the divisions between leaders, stressing Canadian leadership is united.

“They want there to be a heated rivalry between Doug Ford and I, but we’re on the same team,” said Kinew.

Carney weighed in, saying, “I want you to just take that image, the heated rivalry between Doug Ford and Wab Kinew.”

The prime minister says the morning meeting resulted in new agreements:

• to create a “Team Canada” Trade and Investment hub to support global trade missions;
• to hold an internal trade minister meeting in March to remove more labour mobility barriers across provincial lines;
• and to hold monthly meetings with Carney once the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement review begins in July.

“We will work to renew Canada’s most important economic and security relationship — that with the United States,” said Carney.

The push for unity in the face of American tariff and sovereignty threats comes as Canada’s auto industry gets more bad news.

More than one thousand workers will be out of a job Friday, because General Motors is shifting jobs to the U.S., something Donald Trump took credit for at his cabinet meeting in Washington Thursday, while Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford expressed his disappointment.

“We have to move quicker and faster, and make sure that the federal government comes in to support not only these workers, but the overall auto sector,” said Ford. “We have to be more competitive.”

Smith says she doesn’t support independence, rather she and her government believe in a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.

Also in her comments, she cited polling that found about 30 per cent of Albertans may support independence.

When asked if Donald Trump had ever brought up Albertan independence in conversations with the prime minister, Carney said he hadn’t, and that he has always been clear with Trump about the need to respect Canadian sovereignty.

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