Premier David Eby says that a reported meeting between individuals in the Alberta separatist movement and White House officials amounts to “treason.”Speaking in Ottawa this morning before the premiers’ meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Eby — citing a report in the Financial Times — said it’s completely inappropriate for a group to ask a foreign power for help in breaking up Canada. Eby said it’s one thing to attempt to hold a referendum on independence, but meeting with a foreign power to discuss it crosses a line. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said recently Alberta would be a “natural partner” for the U.S., pointing to the province’s resource wealth and desire to build a new pipeline to the West Coast. The Alberta independence movement is collecting signatures in an attempt to initiate a referendum on whether Alberta should separate from Canada. Mitch Sylvestre, who is spearheading the petition for a referendum, said on Jan. 23 he doesn’t think anyone in his movement wants to join the U.S.— With files from Kelly Malone in Washington.