Alberta’s Independence Push Draws Attention in Canada (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: The Canadian prime minister just said he expects Trump to respect Canada's sovereignty. I'm always clear in my conversation with President Trump to that effect. So what sparked these comments? Reported meetings between U.S. officials and separatists from the Canadian province of Alberta. Separatism has been a fringe movement in Alberta since the province joined Canada more than 100 years ago. Its proponents argue that Albertans are overtaxed and underrepresented in Ottawa. The province, located in western Canada, is rich in oil, accounting for about 84% of Canada's total crude oil production. It's also more conservative than the rest of the country. The province's premier, Danielle Smith, has been friendly with Trump and other Republicans. The separatist movement has been building in recent years, with more than a decade of liberal government in Ottawa. So how likely is it that Alberta will actually leave Canada? Well, it could be put to a vote this fall. The Alberta government approved a petition for an independence referendum earlier in January. And activists now have until May to collect 178,000 signatures from eligible voters. But the odds of Alberta actually leaving Canada are relatively low. In one recent survey, just 19% of Albertans said that they would support secession. When asked about the meetings with Albertan separatists, a White House official told CNN, administration officials meet with a number of civil society groups. No support or commitments were conveyed.