Maverick Party

Maverick Party
LeaderColin Krieger
PresidentChuck Toney
Deputy leaderAllan Kerpan (interim)
FounderPeter Downing
FoundedJanuary 10, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-01-10)
HeadquartersCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Ideology
Provincial autonomy[5]
Political positionRight-wing[4][6] to far-right[7][8][9]
Colours  Green
Senate
0 / 105
House of Commons
0 / 338
Website
maverickparty.ca Edit this at Wikidata

The Maverick Party, formerly known as Wexit Canada, is a Canadian federal political party. It advocates for constitutional changes to benefit, or the independence of, Western Canada, which includes British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The party has its roots in Alberta separatism and advocates the use of grassroots politics.[10][better source needed]

The party ran candidates across the aforementioned provinces and three territories in the 2021 Canadian federal election,[11][12] but did not run candidates in ridings where there was a strong possibility of electing a Liberal or New Democratic candidate.[13]

The party was led by former Conservative Party of Canada House leader Jay Hill since the resignation of the party's first leader, Peter Downing.[14] Hill came out of retirement to act as interim leader of the Maverick Party until the election of a new leader. Hill has said that he wants the party to serve a purpose in Western Canada similar to what the Bloc Québécois has done for Quebec.[15][16]

On May 14, 2022, party members elected Colin Krieger as the new leader of the party. Krieger won the leadership race with 52 per cent of the vote against Tariq Elnaga.[17]

  1. ^ von Scheel, Elise (May 13, 2021). "Maverick Party tries to capitalize on O'Toole's unpopularity in Alberta". CBC News. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Boutilier, Alex (August 21, 2021). "Maxime Bernier, western separatist party both denied participation in official federal debates". The Star. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  3. ^ Gerson, Jen (September 13, 2021). "The Maverick Party wants in—sort of". Macleans. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Wexit and the Alternative Right (as of December 2, 2019)". Active History. December 2, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  5. ^ "Wagner, Michael. "WAGNER: The Maverick's platform makes them the new party of the West". Western Standard". April 21, 2022.
  6. ^ Mandryk, Murray (September 15, 2021). "Keep an Eye on the Right-Wing Alternatives on Election Night". Regina Leader-Post. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  7. ^ PTI (February 22, 2022). "Canada protest: Bail denied to Tamara Lich — key organiser of protests against PM Justin Trudeau & COVID restrictions". Financial Express. Retrieved February 22, 2022. Lich previously belonged to the far-right Maverick Party, which calls for western Canada to become independent.
  8. ^ Lardner, Richard; Smith, Michelle R.; Swenson, Ali (February 17, 2022). "How American right-wing funding for Canadian trucker protests could sway U.S. politics". PBS. Retrieved February 22, 2022. She previously belonged to the far-right Maverick Party, which calls for western Canada to become independent.
  9. ^ Morris, Jim; Gilles, Rob (February 11, 2022). "EXPLAINER: A look at what's behind the protests in Canada". ABC News. Retrieved February 22, 2022. Also involved are Tamara Lich, who previously belonged to the far-right Maverick Party
  10. ^ Naylor, Dave (December 24, 2020). "Hill pilots course for Western Maverick Party in 2021". Western Standard. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  11. ^ Dryden, Joel (January 11, 2020). "Wexit party granted eligibility for next federal election". CBC News. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  12. ^ Rieger, Sarah (November 17, 2019). "Wexit party to run federal and provincial candidates across Western Canada". CBC News. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  13. ^ "Maverick Party: The great myth of vote-splitting - YouTube". Retrieved January 16, 2021 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Rieger, Sarah (June 23, 2020). "Jay Hill, former House leader under Harper, named interim head of separatist party Wexit Canada". CBC News. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  15. ^ Graveland, Bill (September 12, 2021). "Maverick Party looks to Bloc Québécois as inspiration to ensure western interests". CBC News. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  16. ^ Graveland, Bill (September 12, 2021). "The West Bloc: Maverick Party looks to BQ as inspiration to ensure western interests". CTV News. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  17. ^ "Krieger new leader of Maverick Party". Western Standard. May 14, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.