Western Independence Party

The Western Independence Party (WIP) was a Canadian political party that advocated the separation from Canada of the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as well as the Yukon and Northwest Territories to form a new country.

The WIP ran 52 candidates across western Canada in the federal election of 1988. All the candidates were soundly defeated with none garnering even 1% of the popular vote in any riding.

The party also has or had provincial branches in each of the four provinces. The federal wing of the Western Independence Party was dormant; they have not run any candidates in any federal elections since 1988. The party has been resurrected in April, 2005 at a founding convention in Strathmore, AB under the new name "Western Canada Party". Party leader Tyrone Blakney and President Glen Dundas are preparing to field candidates for the next federal election.

Founding

The party was founded by a group of 150 people from across the western provinces. The WIP was formed because the group had grown dissatisfied with the direction of another western separatist party, the federal Western Canada Concept (WCC), lead by Lawyer Douglas Christie of Victoria, B.C. At the party's founding convention in October 1987 in Edmonton, Dr, Fred Marshall was elected interim leader. Marshall had previously run unsuccessfully for the leadership of the provincial WCC in 1984, losing to future Reform Party M.P. Jack Ramsay of Camrose, Alberta. Also at the founding convention, the party adopted "The West Canada Flag" which was designed by Mr. Dexter Dombro and was chosen from of a field of eight other entries.[1]

WIP of British Columbia

The British Columbia provincial party called the Western Independence Party of BC (WIPBC) was not a branch of WIP. WIPBC has renamed itself the Refederation Party of British Columbia (RefedBC), and now promotes political changes within Canada as its preference, with western independence being an option only if its campaign for political change is unsuccessful.

RefedBC has drafted the text of a Constitution of BC and the text of a BC Direct Democracy Act based on the Swiss model. These are aimed at creating what it describes as a de jure (lawful) BC government. The party claims that Canada's federal government and the Supreme Court of Canada are both "de facto" (unlawful), arguing that Canada has no lawful constitution. The party does not consider the Constitution Act of 1982 to be lawful. Consequently, the party argues that the Canadian government is therefore illegal, as presently constituted.

External link: Refederation Party of BC website

Source: Dennis Shaw, president, Refederation Party of BC, dshaw@telus.net

Alberta Independence Party

The Alberta Independence Party never achieved party status and is defunct. The Separation Party of Alberta, which nominated candidates in the 2004 provincial election, now promotes the cause of separation in the province. The SPA issued a statement of support when the WIP of Saskatchewan was formed in 2003.

WIP of Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan branch of the party nominated 17 candidates in the 2003 provincial election, but none were elected. It continues to be an active party under the leadership of John Nesdoly, but does not intend to nominate candidates in federal elections.

Party program

Party policy was adopted at the founding convention and was expanded at a policy convention in Saskatoon in April 1988.

The party's basic policy statements were the following:

independence as the only way Westerners could get political and economic justice;
the constitutional right to private property;
the citizen's right to referendum on major issues including the constitution and constitutional amendments;
English as the official language; and
an elected, equal and effective Senate.

WIP of Saskatchewan's vision of an independent Western Canada

A prosperous low tax economy.
Direct democracy.
Separation of executive powers to end Prime Ministerial dictatorship.
An elected accountable judiciary.
Equality of treatment and opportunity for all people.
An elected senate balancing popular representation with regional representation.
English as the official language.
A world class medical system.
A justice system that stresses accountability.
No gun registry.
No Kyoto Accord.
Property rights guaranteed in the constitution.

External links

British Columbia
Colombie-Britannique

Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour Without Sunset (diminishment))

Capital Victoria
Largest city Vancouver
Official languages English
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Alberta

Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Fortis et liber" (Latin)
"Strong and free"

Capital Edmonton
Largest city Calgary
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Saskatchewan

Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Multis E Gentibus Vires (Latin: "The Strength of Many Peoples")

Capital Regina
Largest city Saskatoon
Official languages English
Government
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Manitoba

Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Gloriosus et Liber (Latin: Glorious and free)

Capital Winnipeg
Largest city Winnipeg
Official languages English
Government
- Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard
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Yukon

Flag Coat of arms
Motto: none

Capital Whitehorse
Largest city Whitehorse
Official languages English, French
Government
- Commissioner Geraldine Van Bibber
- Premier Dennis Fentie (Yukon Party)
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Northwest Territories
Territoires du Nord-Ouest

Flag Coat of arms
Motto: none

Capital Yellowknife
Largest city Yellowknife
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The Western Canada Party (WCP) is a Canadian political party that advocates the separation from Canada of the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as well as the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut to form a new country.
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The Western Canada Concept was a Western Canadian political party founded in 1980 to promote the separation of the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia and the Yukon and Northwest Territories from Canada in order to create a new nation.
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Douglas Hewson Christie, Jr., known as Doug Christie, (b. April 1946) is a Canadian lawyer and political activist based in Victoria, British Columbia.

Career

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City of Edmonton
Edmonton's City Hall

Flag
Coat of arms
Nickname: City of Champions, Festival City, Gateway to the North, E-Town, River City
Motto:
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The Western Refederation Party of British Columbia ("RefedBC") is a populist provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada which was formed shortly after the 2000 federal election. The party believes that the western provinces are treated unfairly and should secede.
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Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and constitutional reform. The group published a book on democracy, titled , authored by prominent Conservative politicians, to promote their ideas.
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The Supreme Court of Canada (French: Cour suprême du Canada) is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian justice system.^[1]
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Constitution Act, 1982 (Schedule B of the Canada Act 1982 (UK)) is a part of the Constitution of Canada. The Act was introduced as part of Canada's process of "patriating" the constitution, introducing several amendments^[1] to the
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The Alberta Independence Party (AIP) was a provincial party founded in Alberta, Canada, in 2000/1. It was dedicated to increasing the autonomy of Alberta within the Canadian confederation, in part as a response to the 2000 election, in which the Canadian Alliance, a party with
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The Separation Party of Alberta is a political party that advocates the secession of Alberta from Canada. Its leader is Bruce Hutton.

History

The party took over the rights of the inactive Alberta First Party in June 2004 and changed the party name.
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Alberta general election of 2004 was the twenty-sixth general election for the province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on November 22, 2004 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

The election was called on October 25, 2004.
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The Western Independence Party of Saskatchewan is a provincial political party in Saskatchewan, Canada. It advocates the separation of Canada's four western provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba), and the formation of a new country.
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Saskatchewan general election of 2003 was the twenty-fifth provincial election held in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on November 5, 2003, to elect the 58 members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (MLAs).
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Saskatoon
Saskatoon skyline at night

Flag
Nickname: The Bridge City, The Hub City, Toontown, POW City
Location of Saskatoon (indicated by the red star)
Coordinates:
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Canada

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Canada

Federal
Executive (The Crown)
Sovereign (Queen Elizabeth II)
Governor General (Michalle Jean)
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
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Throughout the history of Canada, there have been movements seeking secession from Canada.

Movements seeking independence from Canada

Quebec

Quebec Sovereignism seeks independence from Canada for the province of Quebec.
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The Western Independence Party of Manitoba was a political party in the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was formed in 1987 by Fred Cameron, formerly the leader of the province's Western Canada Concept.
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Western separatism is the ideology that advances the concept of the Western provinces of Canada -- Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba -- should secede. This position is rooted in the perceived difference by some Westerners in culture and economy in relation to
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