Guest Column: Rick Willoughby is a member of the Maverick Party.The Maverick Party has proposed a ‘twin track’ approach to achieve greater fairness and self-determination for Western Canadians: constitutional reform (Track A), or the creation of an independent nation (Track B)..Let’s talk about Track B..Track B is about giving Canadians living West of the lakehead the ability to make the big choices that affect them..Since confederation, all the major decisions affecting the lives of Western Canadians have been made in Central Canada, predominantly by Central Canadians. Today, critical climate p[olicy decisions are being taken in Central Canada that will determine which sectors of the Western economy will be encouraged and which ones will be restricted or phased out entirely..If efforts to reform the Constitution and the Senate (Track A) fail, the federal government – dominated by Central Canadians – will continue to decide what is best for Western Canadians..To prosper, we need the right to choose. “We” is every person residing in Western Canada regardless of age, ancestry, race, faith, sexual orientation or gender. A new West – if we choose – would include all four Western provinces and three territories..If we choose our own nation, we would likely choose to continue to call ourselves Canadians. We might choose to call our nation West Canada. West Canada would be larger in land mass than East Canada. Provincially, we will probably choose to retain the existing provincial and territorial governing structure..Given our experience with Canada’s fatally flawed senate structure, we might well choose to create our own federal senate with appropriately elected representation from all our provinces and territories and from First Nations. No doubt, we will choose to ensure that it has both the duty and the power to protect the interests of our individual provinces, territories, First Nations and minorities from the potential tyranny of the majority within our own elected House of Commons..Should Manitoba choose to be part of West Canada, it would essentially be the east coast of West Canada. We would do well to choose to invest in upgrading and revitalizing the Port of Churchill. We could choose to build a pipeline straight eastward from Fort McMurray to Churchill to enable us to finally access East Canada’s refineries..Since confederation, British Columbians have frequently found that federal elections have already been decided before they have even cast their votes. In West Canada, British Columbia would represent over by far the largest bloc of seats in our House of Commons. British Columbia of course, would be the thriving gateway to Asia and beyond for exports produced by a dynamic West Canada economy. Even if the lower mainland chose to remain part of East Canada, the remainder might overwhelmingly choose to be part of West Canada, thus giving our new nation Pacific access through Prince Rupert, Kitimat, and Stewart..In West Canada, First Nations would have an unprecedented opportunity to redefine their role within the new country. Just as many Westerners support modernizing Canada’s constitution designed in the 1800’s, so too do many First Nations Canadians wish to rid themselves of the colonial Indian Act and Ottawa’s boot..Financially, Western Canada’s average annual contribution to Canada was over $20 billion between 2009 and 2018. These are funds that could be productively spent to build our new nation, and not subsidize a hostile East..In today’s Canada, the majority of the most senior civil servants are required to be bilingual. As a result, most are from Central Canada and can only bring a Central Canadian’s perspective to their work. In West Canada – if we choose to have only one official language – our most senior civil servants will hail from all parts of our nation, bringing diversity and a broad perspective to their decisions. .Western Canada and Central-Eastern Canada have for years been like two brothers sharing a single room, often disagreeing, and occasionally angry with each other. Eventually, brothers mature and forge their separate ways in the world and the brotherly bond is stronger than when they fought over a single room. Like the brothers, this could be the time for West Canada and East Canada to forge their own ways in the world. But the two Canadas will still be brothers, working together where appropriate on common goals. In time, the relationship between West and East could well be stronger than it has ever been..The Maverick Party’s Track B is about having the ability to choose, to be masters of our own destiny, to lay the foundations for Western independence while still retaining strong bonds with our brothers and sisters in East Canada..Guest Column: Rick Willoughby is a member of the Maverick Party
