Wexit supporters in Sask. begin petition to form political party

Members of the growing western separation movement were out across the province drumming up support to form an official provincial party over the weekend.

In Saskatoon, pickup trucks with Wexit signs displayed on their windows were stationed in parking lots at Princess Auto and the Confederation Canadian Tire, gathering signatures from potential voters with the intention of registering to become an official party.

“The political party we’re attempting to register is Wexit Saskatchewan,” organizer Eric Hall said in an interview Sunday.

Hall feels the movement is only going to grow as distaste towards Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s second term in office increases.

“You wait until new laws come in,” Wall said, mentioning Trudeau’s possible intention to introduce gun legislation. “What do you think is going to happen out west? You’re just going to see more and more and more anger.”

The paperwork Wexit Saskatchewan is attempting to file with Elections Saskatchewan is an E-510 Petition for Registration of a Political Party. The form requires at least 2,500 signatures from eligible voters. At least 1,000 of the voters must reside in 10 different constituencies, with a minimum 100 voters in each constituency.

Wall said the group is attempting to gather 4,000 signatures so it can avoid any eligibility hiccups.

Both pop-up signature drives were unwelcome Sunday. Within an hour of the three-hour event, extra security stationed at Canadian Tire asked the Wexit Saskatchewan organizers to leave the property.

Organizers at Princess Auto were asked to move off the property, where security kept a watchful eye on the Wexit truck.

Wall feels experts’ opinions of increased trade difficulty and pipeline approval standstills if Western Canadian provinces were to separate is to serve their own jobs and they’re terrified to speak the truth.

He also doesn’t appreciate Premier Scott Moe’s attempts at sitting down with the federal government to better represent Saskatchewan.

“I think his attitude might change as we start nearing our mark,” Wall said. “We’ll see what happens. We got more and more locations popping up every week.”

Joe Garcea, a political science professor at the University of Saskatchewan, can’t imagine Moe will worry about the start of a new political party, especially considering the strong support his government has.

“The Saskatchewan Party has enough strength and enough distance between itself and the NDP that it doesn’t have to worry about a Wexit-type of party emerging and stealing enough votes,” Garcea said.

“I think in all likelihood (Wexit Saskatchewan) is going to muddy the waters.”

Garcea feels the only pressure Moe and the Sask. Party will feel from a Wexit party is public perception of being too closely aligned with western separation.

“The worst thing (Moe) has to worry about is the association between his party and this type of radical group — radical in the sense of pursuing what’s considered a radical option of Wexit,” Garcea said.

The other scenario where Wexit Saskatchewan could make some noise would be finding a close race in the province.

“You would have to look at one or two ridings in the province that are very close, and if they can find a candidate that has some legitimacy and can gain some traction that he would take some votes away from the Sask. Party camp, then they run the risk of losing,” Garcea said.

“But there aren’t many close ridings in this province.”

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Harrison Brooks.