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| Separation a tough sell - Wednesday, July 23, 2003 at 09:50 |
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Separation a tough sell Monday, July 21, 2003 The Separation Party of Alberta, a fledgling group of hardline conservatives with lofty political ambitions, is finding the road to separation a long and frustrating one. It has managed to pen 2,540 signatures in its bid to become an official party, but is still less than halfway to the magical figure of 5,769 needed to register with Elections Canada. And it is only slightly past a quarter of its eventual aim -- 10,000 signatures from Albertans who no longer want to be Canadian. Party founder Bruce Hutton, a former Mountie and gun registry opponent now living in Rocky Mountain House, is confident the group will attain party status. In fact, he's so confident he is already bragging the party will win 11 seats in the legislature in the next provincial election and will be running the province by 2010. But he admits it is tougher than he thought persuading Albertans they are better off without the rest of Canada, even in an angry Alberta where talk of separation is all the rage. "It is surprisingly hard," said Hutton. "There is the fear of government -- people say, 'I'm not signing that, the government will come and get me.' " "There is a misunderstanding about what we are trying to do. People think that by signing, they immediately become a separatist, when all they are doing is just helping us become a party. "And the last thing is that famous Canadian apathy. People say, 'Gee, I'm really angry and fed up . . . but I'm not going to do anything about it.' " It's not just Hutton's group that's struggling. It seems the war drums of separation are beating rather loudly, but are being heard by only a few. The Western Canada Concept attempted to rear its head again in Alberta last month, but its aim to get 100,000 signatures on a separation petition has stalled at slightly more than 10,000. The group's controversial leader, Doug Christie -- a separatist hardliner for more than two decades; best known for defending Ernst Zundel, the Toronto man charged with disseminating hate literature and Jim Keegstra, the Eckville teacher charged with disseminating false information to students in the 1980s -- said his "independence tour" averaged about "10 or 15 people" per meeting. "It was a dismal failure," he said. "Albertans are reeling, struggling and are stunned by the blows of the gun control thing, Kyoto, the wheat board. . . . They are in shock and they aren't too sure whether they want to fight or beg." Hutton has also been travelling the province, preaching his hardline separatist message. Unlike other conservative groups, his party opposes anything other than complete secession from Canada. He has many plans: an Albertan-run police force, our own health-care system, and most eye-raising -- our own nuclear submarines equipped with long-range missiles. Hutton believes the time is ripe for his group to cash in on anti-Ottawa sentiment -- a recent poll showed 16 per cent of Albertans backed separation in one form or another, double the historic average. "That's a big block of people (backing separation)," he said. "And there are a lot more people that want to talk seriously about it. But it is still difficult getting them to act. We can't get discouraged. We just have to stay the course, try to recruit more people. If we can get 50 people who get 100 signatures each, we're done. "This is just going to happen, come hell or high water. If Albertans understood what it costs to be Canadian, they would all be separatists . . . ." On the face of it, it doesn't seem many people really care. In a recent forum held in Calgary, the Herald counted just six people in attendance while Hutton spoke from a lectern. Hutton says there were "at least 25 people" there. Just last Friday, leaders from at least nine different conservative groups -- including the Alberta Party, the Social Credit Party, the Alberta Sons and Daughters for Liberty, and the Independence Party of Saskatchewan -- came together in Calgary to discuss Alberta's future. Organized by Calgary's Donna Ferolie for the Republic of Alberta Party, the meeting attracted about 200 people, most already members of the various groups involved. "We had some interesting dialogue," said Ferolie, a supporter of Hutton's. "We did a show of hands and the bulk of the room said they would support some form of separation. There is a lot of anger and bitterness and resentment out there. People feel their voice doesn't count. There are people throwing their hands up out here." The future is not good for parties talking up separation, says University of Calgary political scientist Stan Drabek. "Obviously some people do support separatism, but I think in terms of the overall picture, that serious group is a very very small minority to say the least. "A big part of this, obviously, is the fact that people in Alberta do complain, and probably with reason. But I don't think most people would go so far as to want to pull out of Canada. "The reason people don't take these people seriously is that all the way through, there has always been some accommodation, there has been just enough done to accommodate those anti-Ottawa, anti-Central Canada feelings." Drabek said the threat of separation will always be used by Albertans, as the province continues to knock heads with Ottawa. "That's when people start throwing out the bugaboo of separation," he said. "There will always be this debate in the background, but inevitably it rises and falls with the intensity of the issues." ------ The Groups Separation Party of Alberta The party's slogan is Giving Alberta to Albertans. Founded by former Mountie, gun registry opponent and staunch separatist Bruce Hutton, the party is still looking for a leader. The party opposes any steps other than complete secession from Canada. Republic of Alberta A group set up to promote the concept of Alberta secession from Canada. The party has links to various right-wing, conservative groups, acting as a platform for their views and policies. The group has a photograph of Ronald Reagan on its Web site, and sells Republic of Alberta T-shirts, licence plates and even thongs. Their motto? In Liberty We Trust, or Piss off a Liberal, Buy a T-Shirt. Alberta First Party Formed in 1999 to give Albertans a credible voice through which to participate in their government, this group says it is based on the principles of freedom of choice, self-governance and individual responsibility. It believes in the family and stands on a platform of free votes, citizen referendum and voter recall. Its leader is Seba Beach farmer John Reil. It supports the Canadian Alliance and does not have any mention of separation on its Web site. However, it did have members at last Friday's western independence meeting. Alberta Social Credit The party opposes further centralization of power in Canada and believes in more provincial and individual control. Its mandates include establishing "responsible and effective democratic government in Alberta" and "to oppose and expose any attempts to weaken the democratic sovereignty and the democratic institutions of the people by the means of increased centralization of power." It is led by Rocky Mountain House farmer Lavern Ahlstrom. Western Canada Concept Formed in the early 1980s by controversial B.C. lawyer Doug Christie, the Concept is perhaps the most right-wing of the groups. The party's goal is "one nation of the area of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon, with one official language, one government, with equal rights of citizenship for all inhabitants and special privileges for none." Alberta Sons and Daughters for Liberty A fledgling, largely unknown group based on similar sons and daughters organizations in the United States. Members believe in restoring freedom and liberty to Albertans and vehemently oppose the gun registry. This story features a factbox "The Groups ".
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