Wexit Canada
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Wexit Canada | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Peter Downing |
| Founded | January 12, 2020 |
| Headquarters | Leduc, Alberta |
| Ideology | Western separatism[1][2] Conservatism[3] |
| Colours | Black |
| Slogan | The West Wants Out |
| Seats in the Senate | 0 / 105
|
| Seats in the House of Commons | 0 / 338
|
| Website | |
| wexitcanada | |
Wexit Canada is a Canadian federal political party. It advocates for the secession of Western Canada, which includes British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
The party planned to run 104 candidates across the four provinces in 2020, and on running candidates for the provincial levels of government.[2] The group initially gained traction in October 2019 after the 2019 Canadian federal election when the Liberal Party was re-elected to form government.[4] As of early 2020, the party started purchasing billboards in Alberta criticizing Trudeau, sparking public discussion over the lack of representation in the Western Provinces of Canada.[5] The party is currently led by former Christian Heritage candidate Peter Downing. The party conducted a minor protest in Edmonton, involving approximately 100 separation supporters.[3]
Contents
Western separation[edit]
According to Wexit Canada, they plan for their federal-level party to be used as a "shield" for smaller provincial operations. No Canadian MP in the House of Commons who openly sympathizes with the idea of secession. The party wants a presence in the House to advance its goals. The party lacks enough momentum in Manitoba to achieve their goals there, however, they do have small pockets of support in the other three provinces.[1][better source needed]
Provincial parties[edit]
Alberta[edit]
The Wexit Party is collecting signatures to register Wexit Alberta as a provincial party.[6] According to their constitution, this includes abolishing the provincial branch of the RCMP and the establishment of an "Alberta National Police" and a "Provincial Sheriff Program". They plan the adoption of an official currency.[7] Barry Cooper, a political scientist, said in an interview with BBC that, "It’s a failure of trying to understand the other - We don’t share the same myths about what the country looks like, and we never have."[citation needed]
Saskatchewan[edit]
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe proposed a "New Deal" with the federal government—which is the closest attempt at some sort of renegotiation.[8] The Wexit Party is collecting signatures to register Wexit Saskatchewan as a provincial party. However, Wexit believes that if enough people support secession, Moe will hold an election regarding the issue.[9]
Anti-Trudeau billboards[edit]
In early 2020, billboards that called for Trudeau's jailing appeared around Alberta, including Calgary and Edmonton. The billboards sparked an uproar and attention on social media.[10][11] Those billboards pointed to the Wexit Party's website and were purchased though Signpatico, an advertising agency based in Regina. That company said they would more carefully vet future ads and stated "we do fundamentally stand by freedom of expression, as per the charter. But we're not intending on inciting perceptions of hate speech or offensive ads."[10]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Wexit The Plan" (PDF). Wexit Canada. Wexit Canada. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Dryden, Joel. "Wexit party granted eligibility for next federal election". CBC. CBC/Radio Canada. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ a b "'We're looking for our own country': Wexit supporters brave cold in Edmonton for referendum protest Saturday". Global News. Corus Media. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ Macvicar, Adam. "Wexit political party can now run candidates in Canadian federal elections". Global News. Corus Media. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ Antoneshyn, Alex. "Wexit Canada becomes eligible federal political party". CTV News Edmonton. Bell Media. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ "Wexit Alberta". Wexit Alberta. Wexit Alberta. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ "Wexit Alberta Constitution". Wexit Alberta. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ Hunter, Adam. "Premier Moe demands 'new deal,' says he is handing Justin Trudeau a 'fire extinguisher'". CBC. CBC/Radio Canada. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ "Wexit Saskatchewan". Wexit Saskatchewan. Wexit Saskatchewan. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Franklin, Michael (January 11, 2020). "Anti-Trudeau billboards advertising Alberta Wexit campaign cause an uproar". CTV News. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ "After anti-Trudeau billboards spark outrage, ad company says it will re-evaluate vetting process". January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
