Network of YouTube channels pushing U.S. annexation and Alberta secession narrative, report finds

Kathy Le looks at a new report that found roughly 20 YouTube channels working in a coordinated effort to spread misleading content about Alberta separation.

CALGARY - A network of inauthentic YouTube channels posing as Albertan voices is spreading misleading content about separation and U.S. annexation, reaching tens of millions of viewers, according to a new report.

The analysis by the Canadian Digital Media Research Network found roughly 20 channels working in a co-ordinated way, amassing nearly 40 million views while presenting themselves as grassroots commentary from within the province.

Lead author Chris Ross says the videos are not organic and appear to be part of a systemized operation using repeated scripts, shared clips and near-identical titles posted across multiple channels at the same time — all signs of co-ordination rather than independent creators.

“Some of the channels have AI body avatars performing the content, and some just have AI voiceovers,” he said.

“All the channels display these AI-generated thumbnails that are very, you know, clickbaity.”

The AI-generated thumbnails are deepfakes of politicians, often Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney, with maps in the background showing some combination of western provinces as part of the United States.

The report shows the videos frequently draw on real news but distort it, exaggerating political grievances and promoting more extreme ideas than typically seen in Alberta’s separatist movement.

Researchers found the content contained significantly more grievance-driven messaging and far greater support for U.S. annexation than authentic Alberta-based channels.

Repeated inaccuracies

“The inauthentic channels display 60 per cent more grievance framing and 10 to 12 times more pro-U.S. annexation content,” said Ross.

The report also highlights repeated inaccuracies. In one widely viewed video, a narrator claims: “The western provinces just dropped a political bombshell that is shaking Ottawa to its core, declaring moves towards the 51st through 56th statehoods with shocking authority.”

Moments later, the same video asserts: “I am witnessing decades of ignored comments, dismissed warnings, and brushed off facts finally exploding in Ottawa’s face. And here comes the punch, 65 per cent of Albertans, 61 per cent of Saskatchewan residents, and 58 per cent of Manitobans openly supporting separation or even U.S. statehood.”

No published polling supports those figures, the report notes.

In some cases, the lack of local knowledge is evident in the videos.

“One paid voice actor based in Pennsylvania will slip in things like ‘Atlanta Prosperity Project’ instead of ‘Alberta Prosperity Project,’ or mispronounce cities,” Ross said.

Despite those errors, the videos present themselves as authentic Canadian perspectives, often using language that suggests the speakers are directly involved in Alberta politics.

Ross said the goal appears to be engagement and influence.

‘A very distorted view’

“There’s real potential for this influence. People might come away from the videos with a very distorted view of what’s going on in Canadian politics.”

Ross said the findings raise concerns about how online content could shape public understanding ahead of a possible referendum on Alberta sovereignty.

“This is a very important year in Alberta, with the idea of a provincial referendum on the ballot being potentially held in the fall,” he said.

“We think that it’s important for Albertans and Canadians broadly to know which voices are real and which are fake.”

The report stops short of identifying who is behind the network or where it originates, saying the available evidence is inconclusive.

Still, it warns the content exploits real frustrations among Albertans and repackages them into more extreme narratives.

In southern Alberta, the two residents CTV News spoke to both pushed back on the videos.

‘Taking advantage of chaos’

Ken William, who lives in Pincher Creek and opposes separation, said he worries about the impact of outside influence.

“There are players that are taking advantage of chaos and anger and frustration, amping it up in order to manipulate voting, manipulate personal habits, that sort of thing,” he said.

Joe Trotz, who lives in the Crowsnest Pass and supports Alberta independence, also rejected the messaging in the videos.

“I totally think that’s wrong. I mean, facts are facts. Let them speak for themselves, good or bad, you know, and then let people make up their own mind.”

Jeffrey Rath, general counsel for Stay Free Alberta, also distanced the Alberta independence movement from annexation messaging.

‘Not part of our movement’

“Anybody promoting U.S. annexation or U.S. statehood, they’re not part of our movement,” he said.

“As far as I’m concerned, those videos aren’t helping Alberta independence. We wish to be a free and independent country.”

Elections Alberta says it is preparing for the growing threat of misinformation and deepfakes.

In a statement, Steve Kaye, chief administrative officer of Elections Alberta, said a new law passed this month gives the agency authority to address deceptive online content, including AI-generated material.

Kaye said a dedicated Information Integrity Unit is being established within Elections Alberta to focus on “all forms of deepfakes, misinformation, disinformation and other nefarious online activities, both foreign and domestic.”

The unit will work with law enforcement and intelligence partners and is expected to be operational by mid-June.

“Everything begins somewhere and sitting back, hoping this is just going to stop or go away, is not a strategy,” he said.

Ross said the scale of the network highlights gaps in oversight as artificial intelligence makes it easier to mass-produce political content.

“YouTube last summer updated their content guidelines to try and address some of this mass-produced content that’s becoming very common in this AI era,” he said.

“And we think that these channels are actually using paid human voice and body actors, in part to respond to these updated guidelines. But it’s clearly not enough. There’s a gap in governance here where these channels can get a fairly large reach — about 40 million views.”

He said greater transparency from platforms will be key to understanding who is behind the content and who it is targeting.

“We think it’s a good opportunity for YouTube or governments to step up and discourage this kind of content and provide data that allows us to better understand who’s producing it and who the target audience might be.”

In a statement to CTV News, a YouTube spokesperson said, “YouTube doesn’t allow spam, scam or other deceptive practices that take advantage of the YouTube community. We’re currently reviewing the channels in this report and will remove any content that violates our Community Guidelines.”