Meet the Albertans who dream of joining the US

This translated article is appearing here as part of an Election 2025 collaboration between Le Devoir and Canada’s National Observer, to share news across the language divide.

The tables are starting to fill up at the Whistle Stop Café, a restaurant that doubles as a convenience store in Mirror, a hamlet between Edmonton and Calgary. On one wall hangs a jersey displaying a montage of the faces of Justin Trudeau and former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Next to it is a framed image of the Freedom Convoy, the movement that paralyzed Ottawa in 2022.

This is where a rally is being held in support of US President Donald Trump’s pitch that Canada become the 51st US state, bringing together two groups: those who dream of seeing Alberta secede from Canada to join the union and those who would prefer Canada's complete annexation.

The meeting aims to develop the best strategy for gathering new support for this idea, which has been suggested repeatedly by Trump since his return to the White House.

Upon arrival, it was hard not to notice Shawn Harvey, proudly wearing his “Alberta, USA” jersey with the Alberta flag on one sleeve and the American flag on the other, paired with a “Make Alberta Great Again” cap — an obvious reference to the slogan popularized by the Republican president.

The 52-year-old truck driver drove two hours from Edmonton to attend the event.

“I'm here to connect with others so we can show the world that now is the time [to join the United States]. We have to strike while the iron is hot,” he said.

He is not the only one who wants to become an American. According to various polls conducted in recent months, a large minority of Canadians would like to see their country become the 51st state of the United States (around 10%), but support for this idea is generally stronger in Alberta.

Although he was born and raised in wild rose country, Harvey no longer identifies as a “proud Canadian.” While he says that he believes Canada was once a good place to live, he now laments the country's “disastrous” economic situation.

“We have to take a stand after everything the government has put us through for decades. Enough is enough. It's time to seek prosperity. We live in a prosperous province, now we have to make it a prosperous state.”

He admits that he does not know how to achieve this in concrete terms. “I don't care about the how. But I know the why. The why is freedom. The rule is the Constitution. And we don't have that here,” he says, pulling a miniature copy of the US Constitution from his pocket.

Neither Carney nor Poilievre

Also wearing a “Make Alberta Great Again” cap and a tie representing the American flag, Peter Downing, former leader of the Maverick Party (formerly Wexit), a Western Canadian independence movement, takes the floor in the dining room.

“We have to figure out how to trigger a motion of no confidence against the government, because we don't want these people at the negotiating table. We have to find a way to assert ourselves, as separatists, as the real interlocutors [of the United States],” the event organizer tells the 25 supporters in the room.

When asked about the modest turnout at his event, Downing replied that this was the first gathering of its kind and that the movement would certainly gain momentum in the coming months. “Today is just the beginning,” he assured.

The Maverick Party won only 1.3% of the vote in Alberta in the 2021 federal election and was struck off the ballot by Elections Canada for the April 28 election for failing to file an annual financial report for 2023.

However, Downing argues that the trade war with the United States, combined with a Liberal election victory for Mark Carney, could accelerate both the Alberta separatist movement and support for it becoming the 51st state. “We could pay 60% less in taxes with the US dollar, have full access to their market, avoid tariffs completely and no longer have to give a penny to Eastern Canada. It would be perfect.”

Downing plans to cancel his vote on April 28 by writing the names of Donald Trump and his vice president, J.D. Vance, on his ballot. The separatist rejects both Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

“I think Poilievre is like Milhouse in The Simpsons. He's weak, he's a nerd. He gets his butt kicked, he just lost a 20-point lead in the polls.”

Harvey also doesn't believe in the Conservative leader's “common sense” plan. “I've seen him at rallies, people ask him questions and he can't answer. I'd rather have someone who stands up for the people, like President Trump has proven time and time again. Is he perfect? No. Nobody is, including me. But I'd rather vote for President Trump than anyone else.”

After two hours of supporters taking turns speaking, the event comes to an end. Several “Make Alberta Great Again” caps are raffled off.

The lucky winner of the pink cap, Elizabeth Filip, admits she's not entirely sold on the idea of becoming part of the 51st state. The 43-year-old Edmonton resident would prefer to see the western provinces unite and form an independent country.

“I think we could be a very prosperous country without necessarily joining the United States,” she says. ”But if joining them is the only way to become independent from the federal government, then I'm all for it.”

Elizabeth is also fed up with Canadian politicians. Pierre Poilievre's Conservative Party, which she describes as a “farce,” is simply “not conservative enough” for her liking.

Canada, a distinct society

In the charming village of Cochrane, 230 kilometers southwest of Mirror, the idea of the 51st state has also gained traction among some citizens, such as Robert Low.

The 54-year-old, a member of a Facebook group of 51st state supporters, says he had been thinking about the idea long before President Trump's statements.

“My dream scenario is a bit like the example of the United Kingdom, where Alberta, or perhaps all of Canada, would be like Scotland. We would be connected and unified with the United States, but we would maintain a very distinct society,” he explains in a village café, from where the Canadian Rockies can be seen on the horizon.

He believes that Canada and the provinces would be perfectly capable of retaining their own identities under a US umbrella. To support his argument, Rob cites Alaska, which became a state in 1959 and has “remained very unique” despite everything, he says.

Rob, who is gay himself, says he does not fear for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in the event of annexation.

“My husband and I are married, and we are grateful to have that right, but most states offer certain protections. As a gay man, I believe deeply in individual rights and states' rights. So I support a state being able to say, 'No, we're not going to recognize gay marriage,'” he explains, acknowledging that this position might raise eyebrows for most people.

And then, in the event of a union between Canada and the United States, the process would involve years of negotiations, he continues.

“It wouldn't happen overnight. During those years of negotiations, maybe Alberta would want to keep its health care system, Quebec would want to preserve the French language, or Manitoba would want to enshrine LGBTQ rights in its constitution,” he explains.

Like many Albertans, Rob is tired of encroachment on his province's jurisdiction. “Ottawa is becoming increasingly centralized and intrusive. They constantly tell us what we should do about our education, our health care, our oil industry, and we say, 'Shut up. It's none of your business.'”

His reasons are political, of course, but also economic: he argues that annexation would greatly benefit the prosperity of Canadians.

“For me, it's more about envisioning a more positive future. People have every right to disagree with me, but honestly, I'm convinced that my children and grandchildren will have a better future with more Alberta, less Ottawa, and perhaps a North American economic union.”