The leader of the Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta (WIP) said he was gobsmacked to read comments from the leader of the federal Maverick Party that Western independence is a “little bit of an albatross around Maverick’s neck.”.Maverick Leader Jay Hill made those comments to the Western Standard during an exclusive weekend interview, and WIP Leader Paul Hinman was quick to react..“I was quite shocked for him to call it an albatross I mean, it’s actually our freedom — this is the movement Albertans have been looking for and needing,” he told the Western Standard on Monday..“And for those who don’t know we need to be a sovereign independent nation, they soon will know.”.Hinman maintains the four western provinces — but especially Alberta —are not going to get a “fair deal” from Ottawa if the West doesn’t stand up for itself to take charge of its own futures..“We need to take it into our own control,” Hinman said..“Why would the 90% of Canadians vote to say, ‘Well, yeah, we don’t want to take as much money as we have historically from Alberta. OK, we’re gonna let them export their oil and gas’ … and eastern Canada all of a sudden is going to change and say, oh, we’re concerned about Alberta oil and gas, we’re concerned about the beef industry? There’s no chance, there’s no prospect, of any future at all coming from Ottawa, and especially with the Trudeau government,” he said..“Again, I would argue for those people who want a fair deal, the best thing they can do is to vote, whether it’s the Wildrose Independence Party or the Maverick Party, for people who are going to stand up for us.”.The Maverick Party rose from the ashes of Alberta’s Wexit Party (a play, at the time, on Britain’s Brexit strategy to leave the European Union)..Hill said he envisions the West striking a deal with Ottawa to have the same kinds of freedoms eastern provinces, such as Quebec, enjoy..Yet he acknowledged Wexit’s legacy of staunch separatism could hurt the Maverick Party..His full quote: “I never joined (the Maverick Party) until I actually became the interim leader at the end of June 2020, but my understanding of the mandate or vision of Wexit .Canada was pretty much wrapped up in Western separatism.”.“That’s been a little bit of an albatross around Maverick’s neck,” and that he envisioned western separatism in the same vein as what Quebec enjoys..Not going to happen, argued Hinman, who noted Quebec has leverage that only comes from numerous electoral ridings..“They have more seats,” he said..“This is a broken, dysfunctional, toxic relationship. And they’ve got a bank account, and they’re spending our money faster than we can make it. That’s why they’re a trillion dollars in debt, and they’re looking for us to pay for it, but want to tell us that we can’t keep carrying on the most lucrative business and the best business going on .carbon fuels are an absolute blessing and miracle to the lives of humans — it just plain.simply is.”.Hinman said the best advice he could give to Hill is: “It’s about Alberta..“Focus on Alberta, and do the best we can because the status quo has to go.”.Hinman said there are two things that can’t be taken from people and then expect them to continue to make a living..“One is their energy. It just has to be there,” he said..“And the other one is their freedom. To lose your freedom and your opportunity, which the federal government is imposing on Alberta, their desire is to create a have-not province where we’re dependent on the federal government, and then we know flat-out they’re gonna let us basically die on the road (and) they’re not going to stop to help us —.they want us to become a have-not and then they will leave us.”.If the West wants to make a stand, the time is now, said Hinman, who added there are not too many opportunities left..“Well, to me, this is our last chance. This is death by 1000 cuts, and if Albertans don’t wake up and realize in 2023 (Alberta votes provincially May 31 that year), I don’t believe we’ll have another chance (because) this is our last chance to walk out the door with some dignity and with a future because after that, when we become a have-not province, you don’t get those things back,” he said..“I believe Albertans, especially after September 20 (federal election) are.going to realize we have to look in a new direction.”.Mike D’Amour is the British Columbia Bureau Chief for the Western Standard..,.mdamour@westernstandardonline.com
The leader of the Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta (WIP) said he was gobsmacked to read comments from the leader of the federal Maverick Party that Western independence is a “little bit of an albatross around Maverick’s neck.”.Maverick Leader Jay Hill made those comments to the Western Standard during an exclusive weekend interview, and WIP Leader Paul Hinman was quick to react..“I was quite shocked for him to call it an albatross I mean, it’s actually our freedom — this is the movement Albertans have been looking for and needing,” he told the Western Standard on Monday..“And for those who don’t know we need to be a sovereign independent nation, they soon will know.”.Hinman maintains the four western provinces — but especially Alberta —are not going to get a “fair deal” from Ottawa if the West doesn’t stand up for itself to take charge of its own futures..“We need to take it into our own control,” Hinman said..“Why would the 90% of Canadians vote to say, ‘Well, yeah, we don’t want to take as much money as we have historically from Alberta. OK, we’re gonna let them export their oil and gas’ … and eastern Canada all of a sudden is going to change and say, oh, we’re concerned about Alberta oil and gas, we’re concerned about the beef industry? There’s no chance, there’s no prospect, of any future at all coming from Ottawa, and especially with the Trudeau government,” he said..“Again, I would argue for those people who want a fair deal, the best thing they can do is to vote, whether it’s the Wildrose Independence Party or the Maverick Party, for people who are going to stand up for us.”.The Maverick Party rose from the ashes of Alberta’s Wexit Party (a play, at the time, on Britain’s Brexit strategy to leave the European Union)..Hill said he envisions the West striking a deal with Ottawa to have the same kinds of freedoms eastern provinces, such as Quebec, enjoy..Yet he acknowledged Wexit’s legacy of staunch separatism could hurt the Maverick Party..His full quote: “I never joined (the Maverick Party) until I actually became the interim leader at the end of June 2020, but my understanding of the mandate or vision of Wexit .Canada was pretty much wrapped up in Western separatism.”.“That’s been a little bit of an albatross around Maverick’s neck,” and that he envisioned western separatism in the same vein as what Quebec enjoys..Not going to happen, argued Hinman, who noted Quebec has leverage that only comes from numerous electoral ridings..“They have more seats,” he said..“This is a broken, dysfunctional, toxic relationship. And they’ve got a bank account, and they’re spending our money faster than we can make it. That’s why they’re a trillion dollars in debt, and they’re looking for us to pay for it, but want to tell us that we can’t keep carrying on the most lucrative business and the best business going on .carbon fuels are an absolute blessing and miracle to the lives of humans — it just plain.simply is.”.Hinman said the best advice he could give to Hill is: “It’s about Alberta..“Focus on Alberta, and do the best we can because the status quo has to go.”.Hinman said there are two things that can’t be taken from people and then expect them to continue to make a living..“One is their energy. It just has to be there,” he said..“And the other one is their freedom. To lose your freedom and your opportunity, which the federal government is imposing on Alberta, their desire is to create a have-not province where we’re dependent on the federal government, and then we know flat-out they’re gonna let us basically die on the road (and) they’re not going to stop to help us —.they want us to become a have-not and then they will leave us.”.If the West wants to make a stand, the time is now, said Hinman, who added there are not too many opportunities left..“Well, to me, this is our last chance. This is death by 1000 cuts, and if Albertans don’t wake up and realize in 2023 (Alberta votes provincially May 31 that year), I don’t believe we’ll have another chance (because) this is our last chance to walk out the door with some dignity and with a future because after that, when we become a have-not province, you don’t get those things back,” he said..“I believe Albertans, especially after September 20 (federal election) are.going to realize we have to look in a new direction.”.Mike D’Amour is the British Columbia Bureau Chief for the Western Standard..,.mdamour@westernstandardonline.com
