Western Independence Party of Saskatchewan

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Western Independence Party of Saskatchewan
Former provincial party
Right-wing
Seats in Legislature
0 / 61

The Western Independence Party of Saskatchewan (often shortened to WIP of Saskatchewan or WIP-SK) was a provincial political party in Saskatchewan, Canada. It advocated for the independence of Saskatchewan and libertarian ideals. The party leader was Neil Fenske. WIP-SK was not affiliated with any federal party.[1][2]

History

The WIP of Saskatchewan was formed on July 12, 2003, and nominated 17 candidates for the November 5, 2003 provincial election. These candidates won a total of 2,735 votes, or 0.64% of the provincial total.

The first party president was Frank Serfas, and the first deputy leader was David Sawkiw. The party nominated eight candidates for the 2007 election, two in the 2011 election, and four in the 2016 election.

The party was not affiliated with the

Alberta Independence Party
.

De-registration

The party was formally de-registered by Elections Saskatchewan on May 10, 2019.[3] The party had missed the deadline to report their election expenses related to the 2018 Regina Northeast by-election. According to Fenske, missing the dealine was an "oversight" and the party had been lacking the manpower to function as a proper party for a few years. The party was also dealing with internal divisions. Indeed, some members who were disappointed by Fenske's non-commitment to Western separatism had attempted to oust him as leader in the months prior to the party's de-registration.[4]

Ideology

The WIP of Saskatchewan's platform was libertarian and secular in nature, a distinguishing feature from some of the other separatist parties in Western Canada. It supported fiscally conservative and socially moderate policies. Though the party was originally established with a pro-independence stance, in its final years it had focused less on separatism and has instead advocated for strengthened political power at the federal level for Saskatchewan, to combat the perceived notion of Western alienation.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ White-Crummey, Arthur (September 17, 2018). "Changing of the guard in fight for Saskatchewan independence". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  2. ^ White-Crummey, Arthur (December 10, 2018). "Saskatchewan separatists feud over party 'takeover' attempt". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
  3. ^ "Western Independence Party of Saskatchewan removed from Register of Political Parties". Elections Saskatchewan. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  4. ^ White-Crummey, Artur (May 15, 2019). "Western Independence Party loses registration amid infighting". Regina Leader Post. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  5. ^ Brace, Samanda (September 10, 2018). "Meet Regina Northeast's six by-election candidates". CBC. Retrieved January 24, 2019.

External links

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