The Western Independence Party of Saskatchewan is a provincial political party in Saskatchewan, Canada. It advocates the independence of Saskatchewan, and the formation of a new country. It is not affiliated with any federal party. It supports fiscally conservative and socially moderate policies.
The party was formed on July 12, 2003, and nominated 17 candidates in the November 5, 2003 provincial election. These candidates won a total of 2,735 votes, or 0.64% of the provincial total.
The party's leader is Dana Arnason, the deputy leader is David Sawkiw and the party president is Frank Serfas. The party nominated eight candidates for the 2007 election.
Besides the party's support for independence, the party's platform is secular and libertarian in nature, a distinguishing feature from some of the other separatist parties in Western Canada. The WIP of Saskatchewan has no ties with the Separation Party of Alberta or the Western Canada Party.
The party not affiliated to the Western Canada Concept Party of British Columbia or the British Columbia-based Western Block Party and has made considerable effort to distance itself from Doug Christie, the leader of those parties. Whereas Christie has been mired in controversy for defending Holocaust deniers and has been accused of being an anti-Semite, the WIP has made an explicit statement in support of the State of Israel.
Famous quotes containing the words western, independence and/or party:
“Practically everyone now bemoans Western man’s sense of alienation, lack of community, and inability to find ways of organizing society for human ends. We have reached the end of the road that is built on the set of traits held out for male identity—advance at any cost, pay any price, drive out all competitors, and kill them if necessary.”
—Jean Baker Miller (20th century)
“Traditionally in American society, men have been trained for both competition and teamwork through sports, while women have been reared to merge their welfare with that of the family, with fewer opportunities for either independence or other team identifications, and fewer challenges to direct competition. In effect, women have been circumscribed within that unit where the benefit of one is most easily believed to be the benefit of all.”
—Mary Catherine Bateson (b. 1939)
“Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does.”
—Allen Ginsberg (b. 1926)