The Maverick Party - formed in January 2020 following a restructuring of the WEXIT Party, which advocated for Western Canadian secession - held its inaugural party convention on Saturday.
The party’s top brass and affiliates outlined their vision for a renewed relationship with Ottawa, following years of perceived slights from the federal center that has left the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan feeling alienated from the rest of the country.
Leader Says West Needs Proper Representation
During a 25-minute speech Hill, who represented the British Columbia riding of Prince George-Peace River for 17 years, rallied against Canada’s political establishment and voters in the Central Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec in making his case that the party represents Western Canadians’ only option for appropriate representation at the federal level.
“We’re gathered here today because, as Westerners, we’ve had enough of a Canada that doesn’t work for all Canadians, especially Canadians in the west,” Hill told members of his party.
The interim leader emphasized that all parties favor predominant political thought in Central Canada, ignoring the priorities of voters out West. Hill took particular aim at the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), which holds all but one seat in Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as its leader Erin O’Toole.
“Until the Maverick Party, there wasn’t a single federal party standing up for the West… no, not even Mr. O’Toole and the Conservative Party of Canada,” the interim leader said of the CPC, which has been accused by other parties and critics of excessively promoting Western Canadian interests.
Hill emphasized that the Conservatives, like other parties, want power and thus, inevitably, turn their attention to Ontario and Quebec, which combine for 199 out of 338 total seats in the House of Commons.
The Maverick Party’s head stressed that continuing to vote for Conservatives expecting adequate representation from the party is “insanity,” albeit calming fears about possible vote splitting, underscoring that the Party would not field candidates in competitive ridings, where the possibility of electing a Liberal or New Democrat exists.
Hill also seemed to take issue with attitudes about Western Canada amongst Canadians residing in the central part of the country.
“It tells you something about voters in Central Canada that when the prime minister puts down their fellow Canadians out west they like him the better for it,” the leader said, commenting on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s alleged bias against the region.
Additionally, the interim leader highlighted a long-held view that Western Canada is responsible for the country’s economic prosperity, noting that compatriots in central regions don’t understand the “fact” that Canada would be a “third-world country” without the West. The Maverick Party has vowed to rework the system, which transfers funds between provinces with monetary imbalances.
The party would not repeat a historical “mistake,” in pursuing a nationwide presence, Hill underscored, referencing his former Reform Party’s roots in Western Canada, but which ultimately pursued a national agenda and dissolved in 2000, with its remnants later merging them with Progressive Conservatives to form the CPC.
Mavericks to Pursue Constitutional Reform, But Not Ruling Out Split With Canada
While the party’s roots lie in the secessionist WEXIT movement, the party, for now, is pursuing a strategy perfected in Central Canada, namely Quebec.
Canada and Quebec have endured a volatile relationship since the country’s confederation in 1867. The predominantly Francophone province, which places the utmost importance on preserving its French culture and heritage, has undertaken several efforts in the past to secede from the federation, including holding independence referendums in 1980 and 1995.
However, in recent decades the province has placed an emphasis on carving out its own identity within Canada, with Quebec recently moving to unilaterally amend the Canadian constitution - defining Quebec as a nation with French as its official language - and accordingly strengthen French-language requirements for businesses, government institutions and schools.
Hill says this is a blueprint the Maverick Party can use.
“The first step is to learn from Quebec. They wrote the book on dealing with Ottawa,” the former house leader said. “For nearly 30 years Quebec has sent [Members of Parliament] MPs to Ottawa that represent Quebecers - we must do the same.”
However, this strategic approach doesn’t mean the Mavericks have entirely abandoned their secessionist roots.
“Independence must be an option,” Hill said, again referencing Quebec’s historical separatist push. “Not necessarily independence, but independence if necessary.”
The Western-oriented party is pursuing a two-track approach, where the party, on the one hand, will be pursuing constitutional reform and better representation in Ottawa but simultaneously seeking to create an independent nation in Western Canada. The approach was reflected in the party constitution, which is being voted on by the party membership.