OTTAWA — Federal officials say that Alberta separatists going around Ottawa and repeatedly meeting with U.S. officials to advance their cause is legal for Canadians, within certain limits, even though similar behaviour could be prohibited elsewhere. Nor do private citizens need to clear such foreign talks with the federal government, Babcock added. However, a spokesman for the federal Justice Department, Ian McLeod, said that, while private citizens are free to speak with foreign officials, these talks are nonetheless subject to criminal laws prohibiting espionage, sedition and the sharing of state secrets. The APP is the primary group pushing for an Alberta independence vote in 2026 and is set to start collecting signatures this week in support of its referendum question. Both Rath and Davies said they’ve made it clear to foreign contacts that they don’t have the authority to make agreements on behalf of Alberta or Canada.

Source: National Post December 31, 2025 10:23 UTC