Foreign actors like Russia interfering in Alberta separatist debate, new report says

Foreign actors like Russia interfering in Alberta separatist debate, new report saysJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleAna FaguyGetty ImagesForeign actors are attempting to undermine Canadian interests by interfering in Alberta's separatist debate, according to new report.Actors from Russia and the US are attempting to promote separatist ideas in what researchers behind the report described as a threat to Canada's "democratic integrity".The findings come as a proposed independence referendum in the western Canadian province could face a vote as soon as this autumn.Earlier this week, a group behind a citizen-led petition seeking independence for Alberta said that it had acquired the number of signatures needed to trigger a referendum.The Alberta separatist movement has its roots in what is known as western alienation - a term used to describe the belief by some that the interests of the province are often overlooked by decision-makers in Ottawa.While the push for a plebiscite has grown in the province, opinion polls suggest a minority - about 25% - of Albertans support independence. The joint report was released on Wednesday by the Global Centre for Democratic Resilience, the Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Data and Conflict, and DisinfoWatch. It argued that foreign actors are exploiting genuine regional grievances, such as concerns the resource-rich province is economically exploited, through social media, "Russian-aligned information infrastructure" and other online accounts. "When external actors amplify separatist narratives, normalize annexation, encourage national rupture, or undermine confidence in democratic processes, the issue is no longer only a matter of provincial politics," researchers wrote in their report. "It becomes a direct threat to Canada's democratic integrity, national security, and cognitive sovereignty."Marcus Kolga, the director of DisinfoWatch, told the BBC, that "ensur...