Alberta separatism disinformation on rise: report

Foreign actors are increasingly generating articles, podcasts and social media posts riddled with disinformation about Alberta's separatist movement, says a new report.

The report from a team of researchers, published Wednesday by the Canadian monitoring platform DisinfoWatch, says the campaigns are coming out of Russia and the United States.

It says social media influencers with millions of followers are generating the disinformation in the United States.

"This matters because influencers increasingly command more attention than traditional institutions and can move fringe narratives into mainstream political debate," the report says.

In Russia, false content is being posted, for example, on a series of Kremlin-aligned websites called Pravda News Network.

"The content repeatedly portrays Alberta separatism as popular, Alberta as economically exploited, and foreign support or recognition as plausible," it says.

It adds that false content about divisive issues, including separatism, can erode the trust Canadians have in their democratic institutions and social cohesion. 

Hyperbolic content about a separation threat can also give the illusion of political instability and damage investor confidence in Canada, it says.

The report says the increase in false content from the United States could be because American officials have overtly opined on the relationship with Canada.

"According to statements by leaders of Alberta's separatist movement, they have been received by senior U.S. officials on at least three occasions since the inauguration of Donald Trump, who has repeatedly expressed interest in annexing Canada," the report says.

"Trump's provocative statements about Canada have given momentum to separatist leaders, American illiberal influencers have amplified separatist narratives online."

Some of the AI influencers, the reported says, are being produced by economic opportunists. The report calls the false content produced by AI "slopaganda."

It warns that the influencing campaigns are set to intensify as Alberta heads toward an October referendum with a possible question on separation.

"Narratives may focus on voter eligibility, ballot counting, non-citizen voting, foreign funding, misleading interpretations of referendum rules and false claims that a referendum would automatically produce independence."

Although Alberta's separatist movement is rooted in legitimate grievances, the report says the province and Canada need to take steps to debunk disinformation to ensure the debate is democratically sound.

Government could fund disinformation detection programs and strengthen local journalism, the report says.

"The central recommendation is that Canada must act before a referendum campaign begins in earnest," it says.

David Shepherd, the Opposition NDP member representing Edmonton-City Centre, cited the report Wednesday in the legislature.

He said the report and ongoing investigations into a massive privacy breach involving an Alberta separatist group prove the province is vulnerable to foreign interference.

"Will this government just admit it has no ability to protect the integrity of the referendum vote, and would they cancel it until they do?" Shepherd asked.

Mike Ellis, Alberta's minister of public safety and emergency services, said the United Conservative Party government has received no credible information suggesting the separatist movement has been subject to foreign interference.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2026.

By Fakiha Baig | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.