Wexit: When Western Canadians Feel Secession

In the space of 24 hours, Facebook group VoteWexit.com has grown from 20,000 to more than 200,000 members. With its motto "The West wants out", it brings together Canadians who, inspired by Brexit in the United Kingdom, are calling for secession from some western provinces. VoteWexit.com was created in 2012, but has seen its notoriety soar since the general election results in Canada, which has returned Liberal Justin Trudeau for a second term.

Throughout the day on Tuesday, #wexit also remained one of the most trendy topics on Twitter in Canada. This movement on social networks has become a reflection of a deep division between the West and East of the country.

Vote Wexit, a Facebook group dedicated to separating the western provinces, has grown from 20,000 to 200,000 members in less than 24 hours.

I have never seen a web community explode so fast, let alone in Canada.

"The feeling of frustration and alienation in Western Canada"

The electoral map resulting from the vote reflects the deep political divide in Canada. The Liberal Party won the election by maintaining seats in Ontario, Quebec, the Atlantic Provinces and British Columbia.

But in Alberta and Saskatchewan, two western provinces that form an area known as "Canadian Prairie", the Conservatives have almost all won (all 14 seats in Saskatchewan and 33 out of 34 in the province). Alberta). "The results of last night's election show that the sense of frustration and alienation in Western Canada has never been greater," Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said in a statement. the day after the results, as Radio-Canada reports. The latter asked Justin Trudeau to take concrete action to protect national unity and extinguish the smoldering fire in "the meadows". "I'm giving [Justin Trudeau] a fire extinguisher and I'm asking him not to respond to these requests with gasoline."

According to the Montreal newspaper, his Alberta counterpart Jason Kenney has even gone further by waving the specter of separatism. "I saw people that I would not have expected, who call themselves politically moderate, talk to me, in the last 24 hours, of separation," he said at a press conference, advancing that the election of the Liberals could fuel calls for a referendum in his province.

This Twitter message from a Wexit supporter in Alberta shows the map of election results and the Conservative victory in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Looks like a new country was made today! # Albertaseparation # saskseparation # wexit pic.twitter.com/ANZ3iNQQTr

An economic and environmental confrontation

Tensions between part of the country and the western provinces are not new. They crystallize for several months on environmental issues. Alberta and Saskatchewan, which account for 80% and 12% of the country's oil production respectively, do not accept that eastern Canada and British Columbia are opposed to the construction of new oil pipelines, which are essential for local authorities to export their black gold to international markets.

Justin Trudeau also attracted the wrath of many in both provinces by introducing a carbon tax in April and passing Bill C-69, which tightens environmental assessments on energy projects , de facto, the construction of oil pipelines more difficult.

Interviewed by the BBC, Professor Barry Cooper of the University of Calgary, believes that these dissensions are as much "cultural as geographical". "It's impossible to understand each other, we do not share the same myths about our country," he says, recalling that Alberta was created in the second half of the 19th century "by pioneers who were looking for a better economic situation, while at the same time the political and economic elite of Ontario or Quebec were trying to build a nation ". Alberta and Saskatchewan joined Canada only in 1905, while Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have been in Canada since 1867.

Separatist candidates have already run for election in Alberta since the 1930s, but never came to power, unlike Quebec separatists. For Frédéric Boily, professor of political science at the University of Alberta, this situation should not change. According to him, the impact of the "Wexit" movement is limited. "They can organize themselves as a third party or structured group, but it will be difficult to have a political voice that allows to get votes," he said to Radio-Canada. While waiting to see if "Wexit" is gaining momentum, some of its members have called for protests in the Western provinces: November 2 in Edmonton, Calgary 16 and Red Deer 30 .