A Michigan delegation travelled to Calgary to sell separatists on software developed for Republicans to get out the vote – and how it could be used to wrench Alberta from Confederation. For David Parker, an organizer for Alberta separation, the software was the path to victory – one that ultimately resulted in a massive privacy breach involving the sensitive personal data of nearly three million Albertans. But Parker’s embrace of the Michigan delegation is evidence of a pattern: separatist factions in Alberta eager to engage the U.S. in their plans for secession, and American actors willing to assist, either privately or openly. Through interviews with The Globe on both sides of the border, people involved in politics, the corporate sector and Alberta’s pursuit of separatism have described persistent efforts by figures in the U.S. administration and conservative political establishment to support groups seeking American expansionism and independence for Alberta. theglobeandmail.com/canada/a…