I’ve asked before, but I’ll ask again: “What will it take before Westerners are ready to take action against Ottawa?”.Recent headlines remind us how little leaders in all federal parties and many Central and Eastern Canadians actually respect the West..Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the Alberta referendum on equalization “incredibly political” (damn right it is, the future of the West is at stake), while former PM Jean Chretien said it was “a waste of time completely.” .And Erin O’Toole made his views and those of his party known by remaining silent, mum, not a word. .In fact, O’Toole apparently suggested his MPs keep quiet on “hot button issues!” Given they’ve been mostly silent on issues of importance to their Western constituents, I wonder what Erin considers “hot-button political issues?” .So why are these leaders afraid to stand up for Alberta and the West? God forbid we ever offend Quebec or do anything to risk their financial stability, much of which is provided courtesy of our oil and gas industry. In other words, don’t risk losing support or votes in the East. .The Maverick Party published our proposed constitutional changes, including to the Equalization formula in January 2021 and shared our proposal with every sitting MP, the prime minister, all federal leaders, and … crickets. Not even a polite nod acknowledging Western frustration. .The silence has been deafening. .Not only from Trudeau, his government and the mainstream media , but worse, not a peep from O’Toole or the recently re-elected Western Conservative MPs. What more evidence is necessary for westerners to see they will never get fairness under Canada’s archaic constitution and system of government? .How do Western Conservative MPs feel about the Alberta Fair Deal recommendations? Are they pressuring Premier Jason Kenney to move forward on these initiatives? Real government action — not just talk — to give Alberta greater freedom from Ottawa and the East? If they aren’t, why not? Or, what about Saskatchewan; is there any hope Premier Scott Moe will pick up Kenney’s fumble and carry the ball across the autonomy goal line? .Another recent ‘head shake’ headline came from the COP26 Summit — Trudeau proudly announced Canada will kill the Golden Goose, aka, cap oil and gas emissions. Rather than environmentalists in BC and Quebec protesting against pipeline construction, IF they really cared about global climate change, they should be protesting for MORE Canadian pipelines! IF there was any common sense left in this country, and IF we were not faced with persistent hypocrisy..Global demand for fossil fuels is increasing, so instead of bowing to the pressure of Trudeau, Quebec’s Steven Guilbeault, Joe Biden or Greta Thunberg by imposing further penalties on our ethical energy industry, doesn’t it make more sense to follow the lead of Norway who are growing their oil and gas production, not shutting it down? .Why do they want to leave our Western Canadian oil in the ground while countries with much lower environmental protection, labour standards and limited human rights increase production and prosper? In what kind of crazy alternate universe does this make any sense? .And for all the preaching to “stay home, don’t travel, avoid gatherings, reduce your carbon footprint,” Trudeau felt it was necessary to bring the largest delegation to Scotland for COP26. Larger than any other country — even larger than the host country!.What will it take to motivate Western Canadians to demand change in how we are governed? When will the status quo finally become unacceptable? .The West is not made up of shrinking violets. We are entrepreneurs, innovators, thought leaders, hard workers, people born here or came to the West from around the globe and other parts of Canada. People that have always persevered against adversity. It’s time to rediscover the indomitable Spirit of the West. .It is time to find the maverick in each and every one of us. .Jay Hill is the interim leader of the Maverick Party
