As the province’s cross-border profile rises, talk at home has shifted to what kind of relationship it might forge with the United States, or even the world, as an independent country. President Donald Trump’s fiery rhetoric about Canada becoming a 51st state rankled Canadians, fuelling a wave of nationalism and giving the Liberal party fresh momentum ahead of the spring election. In turn, Alberta’s separatist movement, long frustrated by being overlooked by Ottawa, especially under prime minister Justin Trudeau, has increasingly been gaining steam and pushing for a referendum on sovereignty.
