Albertans targeted by pro-separation ‘influence campaigns’ with links to Russia, Premier Smith says
Posted Aug 17, 2026 4:13 pm.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is confirming that online pro-separation “influence campaigns” with possible links to Russia are being amplified in the province.
Premier Smith, speaking to CityNews’ sister station Focus Punjabi on OMNI TV, says it’s cause for concern.
“What we’re seeing right now is that there’s nothing out there that has elevated to a level of criminal involvement in our process, but we are seeing influence campaigns,” the premier said.
“There are various shares of information online that appear to be amplified by different bot farms that may have a link to Russia.”
The Alberta premier pointed to the debunking tool Cipher AI as a source for that information. Cipher scans foreign media sites for dubious claims that are then assessed by a human fact-checker.
Smith also said she is kept in the loop thanks to CSIS and RCMP security briefings.
Research by disinformation-monitoring organizations like DisinfoWatch, which uses the Cipher AI tool, has shown that foreign actors are exploiting the ongoing Alberta separatist debate with the goal of eroding social cohesion and trust in democratic institutions.
Foreign actors are primarily from Russia and the United States.
While involvement from Russia is described as “covert,” the U.S. involvement is “overt,” according to a DisinfoWatch study. This involves a U.S. president who has made multiple claims about the annexation of Canada; U.S. government figures meeting with Alberta separatist leaders and making public statements about the province’s separation push; and prominent Donald Trump-aligned media figures promoting Alberta separatism.
The group behind Cipher AI, which launched in 2023, says disinformation becomes most effective when regular people share it with their friends or family – prompting a warning from Premier Smith.
“People just need to, before they believe everything they read on social media, they need to check the source and to verify and to make sure that they’re not sharing things and inadvertently amplifying a message that is being used to try to interfere in our contest,” said Smith. “I trust that Albertans are able to do that research. I trust that they can identify sources that are credible and sources that are not.”
A separation question is among the 10 questions on the province’s Oct. 19 referendum ballot. Albertans will be asked if they want to remain in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on leaving the country.
–With files from The Canadian Press
