Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to give her United Conservative Party government more say over judicial appointments, citing what she described as the province’s distinct legal traditions.

Yet another spat over territory is rocking the troubled US-Canada relationship – and it’s not a result of a Donald Trump threat to turn his northern neighbor into a 51st state.

The Alberta Prosperity Project said the Trump administration shows "far more respect than is shown by the government in Ottawa.”

Alberta separation was in the spotlight at a Monday night independence rally in Calgary's Stampede Park, where security officials said more than 3,000 people packed the Big Four Roadhouse to hear from separatist speakers.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he expects US President Donald Trump to “respect Canadian sovereignty” following reports that Alberta separatists met with US officials numerous times.

Alberta’s 2026 provincial budget will be released Thursday, Feb. 26, as the province faces continued fiscal pressure linked to declining resource revenue and rising demand for public services. The government said Budget 2026 follows a year marked by lower-than-anticipated oil prices,

Premier Danielle Smith says her government will withhold funding to support new judicial appointments in Alberta if the federal government doesn’t give the province a say on who is picked. In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney made public Tuesday, Smith says the appointment process for judges needs reform.

Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney says the governing United Conservative Party caucus has "no business" signing a petition to force a vote on the province quitting Canada.