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Alberta votes to become 51st US state?

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by Frank Holmes, reporter

America has not added a new state to the union since 1959—but all that could change in 2026. Like Alaska, it could bring the United States some of the world’s largest oil reserves. And one of America’s most outspoken conservative commentators is all on board with adopting this neighbor as our 51st state.

Voters in the western Canadian province of Alberta could vote  this year to separate themselves from the ultra-liberal federal government and strike out on a new course that would align with President Donald Trump’s MAGA agenda.

Alberta independence activists need to collect 177,732 signatures, or 10 percent of Alberta voters, on a petition that reads, “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?” If they succeed, Albertans could vote this year to declare independence.

Organizers are cautiously optimistic they can beat Liberal Party members who formed a group called “Forever Canadian.”

“Alberta independence support is around 41%. At a similar stage, Quebec separation support was about 30% — and it climbed to 49.5% by referendum day,” said one pro-independence activist. “With a clear campaign and honest debate, picking up another 10–15% isn’t unrealistic.”

That’s especially true, since—like Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden—Canada is waging an environmentalist war on Alberta’s energy independence and bleeding its citizens dry to pay for big government programs.

Alberta’s permanently frozen northern territories are “flush with ‘oil sands’ that produce about nine times as much crude as Alaska,” reported The Wall Street Journal. “Only Saudi Arabia and Venezuela have bigger reserves of crude.”

Alberta has the third-highest GDP of all Canada’s provinces, behind Ontario and Quebec. But the federal government has used Albertan taxpayers as a piggy bank to finance their big-spending policies. Alberta has been biggest net contributor to the rest of Canada for 19 years.

“Since 2007, over $330 billion has been taken from Alberta,” noted the pro-independence group Rise of Alberta. “Imagine what that could have built at home.”

The biggest net recipient has been Quebec, and one conservative commentator thinks he knows why.

The media “venerated these Quebec separatists,” even thought they just used the threat of breaking away “to get more freebies” from the federal government, said Steven Crowder. “And guess who’s paying for it? Alberta.”

“Alberta subsidizes the rest of Canada,” even though it’s “far more conservative than” the rest of the country, he said. And the federal government has tarred anyone who objects to being taxed to death as everything from “racist” to “treasonous.”

A big announcement this month just made things even worse.

Enbridge Inc. announced last week that it canceled an Alberta oil pipeline because of the uncertain political environment. That means, they think the Liberal Party would cancel its permits, regulate it into bankruptcy, or tax it into oblivion.

Prime Minister Carney, a Liberal Party member, has started to back off some of the most toxic, job-killing, Green regulations and signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” for Alberta to explore more of its buried fossil fuels. But Albertans say it’s too little, too late.

“We are done being governed by people who oppose the industries that fund our economy.   You cannot cap, tax, and block a province’s prosperity and expect loyalty forever,” the group said.

Ironically, one of the movement’s opponents just made an excellent argument why Alberta’s independence could become a first step to U.S. statehood.

Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, a Conservative Party member, warned voters that “if Alberta becomes an independent state, it has to assume all kinds of costs.” A military, federal bureaucrats, everything currently run from the capital of Ottawa would have to be done in Alberta’s capital city of Edmonton.

Or would it? What if Alberta became the 51st state?

Talks may already be underway.

Conservative Alberta Premier Danielle Smith discussed her province’s rich oil reserves with then-President-Elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago last January, before President Donald Trump even took office.

It would also import a large number of illegal aliens who sought to infiltrate Canada or could not cross the northern border into the U.S.

The new petition drive has kicked discussions up a notch.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Albertan separatist leaders on January 22 and left saying Alberta would make “a natural partner” for the U.S.

“Alberta has a wealth of natural resources, but they won’t let them build a pipeline to the Pacific,” added Bessent. “I think we should let them come down into the U.S., and Alberta is a natural partner for the U.S. They have great resources. The Albertans are very independent people.”

“People want sovereignty. They want what the U.S. has got,” he said.

At least one Republican congressman has weighed in, as well. Albertans “prefer not to be a part of Canada and (would like to be) be a part of the United States, because we are winning day in and day out,” said Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn.

So far, leaders oppose the idea—but there’s reason to believe they may not object as strongly as they protest.

“Alberta wants to build new pipelines west, east, north, and south, and we will continue to work with our U.S. partners on building more pipeline capacity to U.S. markets,” said Smith through her spokesman, Sam Blackett.

“But,” her office said, “the premier also believes the overwhelming majority of Albertans are not interested in becoming a U.S. state.”

Smith said she hasn’t signed the independence petition.

The main petitioner for the movement, Mitch Sylvestre, also poured cold water on the idea of U.S. statehood.

“People want sovereignty, and that’s what people in the U.S. have, but we want sovereignty independent of the U.S.,” Sylvestre told the media. “A free-trade agreement with the U.S. would probably be good for both sides.”

President Trump has eyed Canada for a long time. He and close adviser Steve Bannon warn that China is encroaching on America’s closest neighbor, a nation with a 5,525-mile open border.

“China is successfully and completely taking over the once great country of Canada. So sad to see it happen,” posted President Trump on Truth Social last month. “I only hope they leave Ice Hockey alone!”

In reaction, President Trump irritated former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by continually needling Canada to become America’s 51st state. But adopting all of the Great White North would radically change U.S. politics by adding millions of new voters so far-Left they regularly elect leaders like Trudeau.

But annexing Alberta would mostly eliminate that problem—but it could cause another one: It could also cause some people to go on the warpath against the U.S.

“We’re taking this very seriously,” said Chief Sheldon Sunshine of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, wearing his war bonnet. “We’ve seen what happened in Venezuela, we’re hearing the rhetoric that’s happening in Greenland.”

Leaders of the “First Nations” control much of the province’s land through treaties with the federal government, and they want to keep their  claws in it.

In the end, opponents are sure the referendum will fail…because of President Trump.

Kenney thinks Trump will eventually say something supporting Alberta’s independence, and it would create a patriotic backlash among Albertan voters.

Is that why Trump has been laying low on the issue?

Is that why Smith says she has no comment on the referendum?

Is that why you’re only reading about the issue at The Horn?

Whatever the reason, people who live in Alberta—which is called “Canada’s Texas”—would be much happier in the U.S. or on their own than chained to Ottawa’s dictatorial, Woke liberalism.

“Canada is almost unrecognizable from when I used to live there,” said Crowder. “Alberta should do this.”

About the Author

Frank Holmes is a veteran journalist and an outspoken conservative that talks about the news that was in his weekly article, “On The Holmes Front.”