The Rising Tide

Part of the motivation for this blog was my sense that the separates sentiment is much more widespread than most people realize. One obvious example the this increasing feeling is the recent poll done for the Western Standard. The poll found that 36.5% of Western Canadians agreed with the statement, "Western Canadians should begin to explore the idea of forming their own country." This may sound like a modest response but it captures the change in the feelings among many. For a long time the vast majority of Western Canadians only thought of separation when faced with the latest outrage perpetrated on the West by the federal government. The new sense is more profound and deeper because it's based on an accumulation of events and concerns.

And those events continue to pile up. For instance the sentence given to Paul Coffin. Apparently the courts see fraud of $1.5 million as a minor offense. And in a sense it is if one accepts that the sponsorship scandal is simply the Liberal way of doing things. Westerners regardless of political affiliation don't accept that power and corruption will always be linked. It's not that western politicians have always been more honest but the voters have shown a firm willingness to punish those politicians at the ballot box. The Liberals have only been mildly humbled by the fallout from the sponsorship scandal. If Canada can't leave Liberal rule then the West will have to leave the nation.

The Time has Come

From the very beginning Western Canada has been at odds with the rest of the nation. The West has been taken advantage of, ignored and attacked. Eastern Canada has long seen western alienation as special pleading. Their politicians claim that they care about Western Canada yet repeatedly demonstrate that they simply don't understand us.

We have shown a great deal of patience with Canada. Several generations of leaders wrestled with the East. Despite slow progress we refused to abandon this country. It was this spirit of hope that led Preston Manning to launch the Reform Party under the banner of "The West Wants In." Eighteen years later the East has responded and the response was not welcoming.

However this blog does not plan to simply repeat the litany of complaints that fuel western alienation. Those complaints have been made for a long time and have not been addressed. The reality is that eastern Canada does not share our values and has proven unwilling to make a serious effort to address those issues. It has become increasingly apparent that the demands of the West are seen as fundamentally unCanadian.

This blog is not going to call on the East to let the West "in". In fact we ask nothing from eastern Canadians other than to let us leave in peace. Rather than try to hold together a fragile nation with threats and bribes let's accept that Western Canada is going in a very different direction from our Eastern counterparts.

The time has come for a serious debate on independence for the West. This blog will vigorously explore the philosophical, economic, political, cultural, and historical reasons that Western Canadians should seek to build their own nation. It is open to arguments in favour of remaining in Confederation but firmly believe that a serious debate will lead many to the conclusion we have already come to- that an independent Western Canada is not only a necessity but a positive possibility for a brighter future for all of us in the West.

We're eager to hear from anyone who shares this view and even from those who disagree. Send your comments to thewestwantsout@gmail.com or start the debate in the comments.