For Jay Hill, 2020 was a whirlwind year. The interim leader of the Maverick Party hopes that when 2021 is winding down he can be just spending time with his grandchildren..If that’s the case, the upstart Western independence party will already have seats in the House of Commons or be well-positioned to take on Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in any election..The party was formed in June out of a fractured Wexit Canada movement. The party raised eyebrows when it rebranded itself as the Maverick Party. Many supporters and detractors alike snickered and at the name while others thought it was a stroke of brilliance..As the calendar flips into a new year, Hill’s goal is to strengthen local organization in 49 separate riding associations in preparation to fight the Trudeau Liberals in the next election. Hill expects the Prime Minister to drop the writ in the spring..“Being there at the start of the Reform Party, I have some idea about the amount of work that was involved. But this has certainly been quite the challenge,” Hill told the Western Standard in a year-end interview..Hill said party growth has been slower than expected – hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions against holding public meetings.. Mossleigh pub briefly opens before authorities move in .“It is substantially easier to grow a party if you’re allowed to have meetings, lunches, rallies and leader’s dinners. But I’m very pleased with the traction we’ve been able to gain,” he said..The party is now working feverishly to form Electoral District Associations – formerly known as riding associations. “Don’t ask me why they changed it,” he said, adding the party would like to launch some EDAs in the next two weeks..After that, the goal is a virtual party convention “to put some flesh on the bones” of party policies. And then he intends to prepare for when the PM “crosses the street and visits the governor-general..The party has identified 49 ridings to run candidates – where the Tory vote was so large, future right-leaning “vote-splitting” wouldn’t allow a third party like the Liberals to sneak up the middle for victory..Background research is now being done on potential candidates and interviews being held in some cases..Hill said the party has decided not to appoint any candidates until the vote is dropped..“We want to be a grassroots-driven party. Some EDAs may be able to have their own candidates come forward. We don’t want to stop that by announcing candidates earlier,” said Hill..“It’s a double-edge sword – if we were to announce a candidate now, someone else in the riding wouldn’t have had time to make themselves known.”.The former government house leader and cabinet minister under Prime Minister Stephen Harper said if Trudeau delays the election call they may be able to expand on the 49 ridings and right now “the NDP seems happy to keep things going.”.The pandemic is also wreaking having on any plans for the Maverick Party to try and hold a leadership convention, but Hill has made it clear he will not be running for the job and is “ready to step down whenever needed.”.“But right now we don’t have a strong enough vehicle. You can’t put the cart before the horse. So I will be involved for the foreseeable future,” he said..“I’m optimistic we can create a greater fairness for Albertans in the future.”.Hill will enter 2021 as the pilot of the Maverick Party – with a retirement surrounded by grandchildren at the end of the flight..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
