Picture driving down Highway 2 in Alberta and spotting a giant billboard urging, “Tell Danielle! Let’s join the USA!” It sounds like a stunt, but it was bought by a group called America Fund—backed by Western Canadians and produced by U.S. contractors—to push a separatist message.
Today’s separatist campaigns aren’t just fed by local grievances. They borrow dark-money tactics from U.S. politics—foreign-funded think tanks, untraceable ad buys, and covert disinformation—all designed to weaken Canada’s unity for profit and power.
Adding fuel to the fire are groups like Rebel News, founded by right-wing extremist and former lawyer Ezra Levant, who left the legal profession after more than 20 complaints were filed against him. His platform amplifies separatist rhetoric under the guise of “free speech” while stoking outrage and distrust in federal institutions. At their live events—like one pro-separatist rally sponsored by AmericaFund.ca and recently held in Red Deer—they fan the flames with cherry-picked narratives, populist anger, and a steady stream of misinformation. Levant’s network has become a megaphone for anti-Canada sentiment, giving airtime to fringe voices and conspiracy theorists while dressing up American-style culture war tactics as Canadian patriotism.
American Dark-Money Networks
Behind the scenes, U.S. foundations channel millions into Canadian policy debates. The Atlas Network, for example, funnels grants to dozens of free-market think tanks worldwide—including the Fraser Institute, Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa and the Montreal Economic Institute—training local allies to push deregulation and tax cuts. These grants often come from billionaire-funded trusts like DonorsTrust and the Koch Charitable Foundation, cloaked in 501(c)(3) filings that hide original donors.
At the same time, the Heartland Institute—notorious for climate-change denial in the U.S.—backs Canadian groups such as the Frontier Centre for Public Policy to challenge environmental reviews and public health measures. The Cato Institute, co-founded by Charles Koch, also funds Canadian media appearances and op-eds attacking universal health care and labour protections. Together, these networks saturate Canadian media with editorials and reports urging a rollback of social programs and environmental safeguards.
In April 2025, Alberta separatists met with Trump officials in Washington, D.C., where they reportedly discussed a potential $500 million “aid package “to support Alberta’s separation—fueling concerns about U.S. interference and backdoor annexation.
Case Study: America Fund and the Bowden Billboard
The most visible example is America Fund’s Bowden billboard. Founded by Peter Downing—an ex-RCMP officer turned Wexit organizer—the group raised donations from “Western Canadians,” then hired U.S. firms to design and install ads calling for Alberta to become America’s 51st state. Spot Ads, the Calgary billboard company, says it vetted buyers for provincial funding only, but investigations continue into whether any foreign money slipped through. This mirrors U.S. dark-money playbooks: use third parties to funnel untraceable funds into provocative campaigns that grab headlines and sow division.
Legal Loopholes in Canadian Election Law
Canada’s election rules bar registered parties and candidates from accepting foreign donations. Yet third-party advertisers—from unions to lobby groups—can gather unlimited funds and spend up to $1 million during a campaign, provided they register once spending crosses $500. Worse, they can route money through domestic proxies and cover costs in-kind—like free ad production or consulting—without revealing the original source. That makes it nearly impossible to trace foreign influence hidden behind layers of intermediaries.
Public Inquiry: Foreign-Funded Energy Campaigns
Alberta’s own government launched a public inquiry in 2019 into anti-energy campaigns backed by foreign groups. The final report found $1.28 billion in foreign funding of “Canadian-based” environmental initiatives between 2003 and 2019—and at least $54.1 million for anti-Alberta resource-development grants. These campaigns targeted pipeline projects, oil-sands investment, and insurance withdrawals, costing thousands of jobs and billions in lost revenue.
Foreign Disinformation and Wexit
A 2019 Calgary Herald investigation showed that Russian-linked accounts and bots amplified Wexit messagesduring the federal election, pushing narratives of Western marginalization and stirring separatist sentiment. Just as in the U.S. “Russiagate” scandal, foreign actors quietly stoked polarization, exploiting social media to flood debate with false or extreme views—all to fracture trust in Canada’s institutions.
Who Benefits from a Weaker, Divided Canada?
American plutocrats stand to gain if Canada’s public services—like its $300 billion Medicare system—are privatized for profit. Oil and gas interests eye looser environmental rules and unfettered pipeline expansion if Alberta could sidestep federal oversight. Foreign political operators, via think-tank grants, shape Canadian policy debates to align with U.S. deregulatory goals. Even media chains like US-owned Postmedia profit from the clicks and subscriptions driven by outrage and controversy.
Next time you see a flashy separatist ad or a think-tank report bashing Ottawa, ask: Who paid for this message, and what do they gain if Canada falls apart?
Conclusion
Separatist campaigns today are not just homegrown frustrations—they are fueled by a global toolkit of dark-money networks, foreign disinformation, and legal loopholes. Exposing the hidden funding behind billboards and op-eds is the first step. To protect Canada’s unity, citizens must demand transparency: track the money, call out covert influence, and keep the conversation focused on real solutions for all Canadians.
Albertans deserve better. Canadians deserve better.