Globe investigation: Republican operatives aided Alberta separatists; water and oil offered for U.S. support

What the investigation found

The Globe and Mail investigation, published Saturday, reports that Republican political operatives from Michigan travelled to Alberta this year and met with figures involved in the province's independence movement, bringing campaign technology originally developed to mobilize conservative voters in the United States. The investigation also found that when Alberta separatist leaders went to Washington to meet with the U.S. State Department, they offered key assets from the province's resource portfolio — access to fresh water and royalties on crude oil — in exchange for help transitioning to independence.

Reactions

Corey Hogan, Calgary's Liberal member of Parliament, said Sunday that Canada needs to consider overhauling its laws to address the kind of "freelance negotiating trips" separatist leaders have made to D.C. Hogan does not think the talks meet the bar for treason, but said: "They're wrong. If we don't have a law that covers them, I think we should at least be thinking about whether we need one." The White House told the Globe that while administration officials meet many civil-society groups, "no support or commitments were conveyed." Jeff Rath, who arranged the State Department meetings, disputes the account that resources were offered, saying those proposals were not discussed.