Colin Krieger and the Maverick Party were all about Western autonomy before it was cool — so, why are they noticeably absent as Saskatchewan and Alberta introduce sovereignty-themed legislation?.Possibly, it's the poor showing the party delivered in the last election. The unexpected results left many supporters dejected and numerous electoral district associations (EDA’s) abandoned. An unfortunate circumstance to say the least, because the election numbers alone don’t accurately reflect what the party achieved. While it’s true the Maverick Party only pulled in .20% of total votes, few acknowledged that in less than a year they were able to create a coherent platform, organize dozens of electoral district associations and field 29 candidates. They did this all the while being severely constrained with minimal funding..It borders on satirical that what they managed to do in the lead up to the election was exactly what most people complain about wanting from their government: Industry, organization and delivering results with the fewest dollars spent as possible..In May 2022 the conclusion of a two-horse leadership race saw Maverick Party interim leader and former MP Jay Hill replaced by Colin Krieger. Coming out of retirement to lead the party, Jay Hill brought a ton of credibility, professional contacts and name recognition from his past foray in politics. It undoubtedly helped to buoy the party in its infancy. Colin on the other hand, while energetic and full of good ideas, just doesn’t have the same star power. As a result the party gets much less press coverage than is required grow its membership and brand..But then, branding is the party’s biggest challenge..With prairie premiers fanning the flames of western autonomy and the federal government stoking the fire with rising inflation, Bill C - 21 and endless ethics scandals, now is the time for the Maverick Party to rebrand. As popular as Yellowstone and cowboy shows are, if you’re not drawing members from across the urban/rural in political times like this, you’d best be looking in the mirror to figure out why. Maybe the cowboy/roughneck theme isn’t as appealing in politics as it is in TV..While internal polls show the party rank and file prefer the name, it’s not resonating well outside their own echo chamber. I said it first as member and then later as a CEO for a Maverick EDA: If the party is ever going to have a chance at being anything more than a fringe party, the name has got to go. To be charitable, the popularity of Pierre Poilievre is 100% hindering the Maverick Party’s growth and relevance. But the fact remains, when your organization sounds more like a steak house franchise than a federal party, it doesn’t matter how good your policies are no one is going to take you seriously. (And the policies are quite good.).The Maverick Party has the potential to capitalize on the sentiment that is growing in western provinces and to carve a niche for themselves on the federal landscape. They already have a solid policy platform and declared intent to represent those living west of the 98th meridian. They would only support legislation that benefits or at least doesn’t hinder the West. Yes, you heard that right, that means that the party could easily find themselves supporting Liberal, NDP, Conservative or BQ legislation so long is it met those two criteria..A party whose foundations were built on those two simple criteria would likely enjoy prolonged popularity if elected. That's because they would be able represent their constituents and region first and foremost, not the party. It would also enable — and behoove them — to work cooperatively with others in parliament to achieve their goals. Perhaps the name ought to be the Western Cooperative Party? Maybe that sounds a little like the old Co-operative Commonwealth Federation? (CCF) But then, maybe that would be appropriate given the CCF also had its roots in western discontent..So while a few Western provinces essentially go maverick in all but name to distance themselves from the federal government, the Maverick Party probably needs to change theirs in order to get closer to it. It’s that or ride off into the sunset..John Thomson is a retired veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, children’s author, and aspiring columnist. He lives and writes in Moose Jaw, SK.
