Alberta Premier Rejects US Statehood in Swipe at Bessent

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith believes residents of her province would reject joining the US, her press secretary said, days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent weighed in on a possible independence referendum in the region.

“The overwhelming majority of Albertans are not interested” in statehood, Sam Blackett, a spokesperson for Smith, said in an emailed statement. “The Premier supports a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.”

Bessent said in a broadcast interview last week that Alberta is a “natural partner” for the US, and that he believes it should be allowed to expand oil shipments through the US.

Danielle Smith

Photographer: Graham Hughes/Bloomberg