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Have any Alberta political parties or leaders publicly advocated U.S. statehood recently (2024–2025)?
Executive summary
No major Alberta political party or sitting provincial leader has formally campaigned to make Alberta a U.S. state in 2024–2025; instead, the advocacy has come from fringe groups and individual activists, notably Calgary lawyer Jeffrey Rath and organisations like the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) and Alberta Statehood proponents [1] [2] [3]. Media fact-checkers in 2024 also debunked viral claims that Alberta was voting on U.S. statehood, and mainstream provincial leaders have publicly pushed independence talk into the realm of hypothetical or citizen‑led initiatives rather than government policy [4] [5] [6].
1. Who is publicly pushing the “51st state” line — activists, not parties
Reporting and advocacy materials show that the people most actively promoting U.S. statehood for Alberta are campaign groups and individual activists: the Alberta Prosperity Project and allied organisations have organised petitions, rallies and a planned delegation to Washington that Jeffrey Rath has helped promote [2] [7]. Rath publicly told U.S. media he wants to “determine what the appetite…in the Trump administration” is for Alberta statehood or territorial status [8] [1]. These are advocacy efforts, not official platforms of registered provincial parties [2] [8].
2. What the province’s elected leaders have said (or not said)
Mainstream provincial and federal politicians have largely not adopted statehood as policy. Danielle Smith, Alberta’s premier as covered in 2025 reporting, has invoked separatist ideas in political rhetoric but has also been reported as not personally supporting immediate separation and framing referendum questions as citizen‑led processes that the government would respect if valid petitions reach thresholds [6]. Other senior federal and provincial politicians have publicly balked at the annexation idea; fact‑checkers found no evidence of statehood ballots being scheduled and noted officials denied any government plan to vote Alberta into U.S. statehood [4] [5].
3. Viral claims and corrections: what was overstated in 2024
In mid‑2024 a social post and some coverage suggested Alberta would vote on becoming the “51st U.S. state” on June 30; AFP and Lead Stories checked those claims and found no scheduled vote and no government action to put statehood on a ballot — the viral story originated from an earlier article and online petitions rather than an official plebiscite [4] [5]. Cowboy State Daily later clarified its reportage to note the original item referenced a Change.org petition, not an official electoral process [9].
4. How serious are these efforts, legally and politically?
Advocates frame statehood either as a pressure tactic or as a long game: groups like APP are pursuing citizen‑petition routes, court reviews of referendum language, and outreach to U.S. conservatives to build political momentum [2] [10]. Analysts and outlets including TIME and policy commentators note the constitutional and diplomatic hurdles are enormous — secession alone would require complex negotiation and recognition, and statehood would need buy‑in from both Canadian and U.S. governments — making immediate annexation highly implausible [6] [11].
5. Where public opinion stands and how polling is read
Polling cited across the coverage indicates only a minority of Canadians (and fewer Albertans) seriously favour joining the U.S.; some polls in 2025 showed roughly one‑third expressing any sympathy for separation more broadly, but support for actual U.S. statehood was far smaller and framed as marginal [12] [13]. Media pieces and analysts treat the U.S. statehood idea as a fringe option energised by frustration over federal policies and by external commentary — for example, U.S. presidential remarks that injected new attention into the debate [14] [13].
6. Two competing framings among reporters and advocates
Advocates such as Rath and APP present statehood or territory options as pragmatic responses to perceived economic and regulatory grievances and actively seek meetings in Washington [8] [1]. Many journalists and fact‑checkers treat the proposals as symbolic pressure or fringe activism, emphasising legal complexity and noting mainstream parties have not adopted statehood as policy [4] [5] [6]. Both framings appear in the record; the former is activist messaging, the latter is the interpretation of mainstream institutions and independent fact‑checkers [1] [5].
7. Bottom line and reporting gaps
Available reporting up to mid‑2025 shows no official Alberta party platform or sitting premier formally advocating Alberta become a U.S. state; public activism and organisational efforts have driven most of the visible statehood talk [2] [7] [3]. Sources do not mention any registered provincial party formally endorsing statehood as official policy in 2024–2025 — rather, the debate is driven by petitions, rallies, delegation plans and media commentary [4] [2] [1]. Available sources do not mention any successful legal or diplomatic steps taken by a government that would make statehood a realistic, near‑term outcome [6] [11].