WESTERN ALIEN NATION

Those of you reading this may note the unusual title of "Western Alien
Nation". No that is not a typo and no I am not uneducated or illiterate.
This title very aptly describes the state of politics in Western Canada.
Western Canada is governed by the Toronto / Montreal power cartel. In the
last federal election, the future of Western Canadians was decided before a
single Western vote had been counted. The results of this election ensure
that we Westerners will continue to be the hewers of wood and the drawers of
water for central Canada.

With the concentration of 175 or so seats in the Canadian parliament in
Ontario and Quebec, anything outside of the Toronto / Montreal axis is
irrelevant. Don't start with the "triple e" Senate argument, because it is
only a pipe dream of Western wannabes. Central Canada simply won't allow it.
I can understand why Ontarians and Quebecers would support the status quo.
It is because of the financial largesse and attention showered on them by
Ottawa. A hotel here, a fountain there, a few phone calls to the head of the
Business Development Bank and voila you have instant federal loyalty.

Yes, it is true that the majority of Canadians live in the Quebec City /
Montreal / Golden triangle area. That is a fact and cannot be disputed. It
must however be accepted and understood, particularly here in the West. The
face of Canadian politics is dictated by what this group of people want.
When push comes to shove they will look after their own interests first.
Central Canadians must be very comfortable with the way things are. Why
else would they be willing to overlook the corruption and mismanagement of
the Chretien government? There may be some who will say that the Liberals
had the best policies. The Liberal plan to balance the budget, lower taxes,
pay down the debt, are Alliance platforms. So what was left, health care?
Please. Who cut $21 billion from federal health care transfers to the
provinces?

Yes there was a number of people who voted Alliance in central Canada.
I am grateful to these people for the help. It simply doesn't alter any of
the facts.


If the shoe were on the other foot Western Canadians would do exactly the
same. You must also understand our position here in the West was arrived at
after 100 to 125 years of effort by central Canada's finest and brightest
political brainpower. It is not something that happened as a result of the
November 27 vote. The vote was merely an affirmation of what is.

With these things in mind, why would a federal government do anything to
upset the political applecart by doing anything to remotely annoy their
power base? In fact it would seem somewhat prudent to conduct as much
political guerilla warfare as possible to destabilize any potential threat
to the way things should be. A clear example of this is the election of
Joe Who in the riding of Calgary Centre. Joe received more Liberal
votes than the Liberal candidate did. Another example is the highly
successful whisper campaign waged by both the Tories and Liberals
to discredit the Canadian Alliance.

Pssssst the Alliance has a "secret agenda".

The fear of change is so great in central Canada that the mere shadow of a
rumour was enough to sink Alliance fortunes.

Please don't misunderstand my position. I don't blame the Liberals or the
Conservatives for screwing Western Canadians. That is the law of the
political jungle. Kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest. Do anything to
retain power.

Having said that, Western Canadians have a choice. They can continue to
accept domination by the central Canadian cabal, or they can reject it. For
those of you Naïfs who think electing more Liberals / Tories is the solution
should hearken back to the days of the Hepatitis C compensation vote and
remember the tears shed by some Liberal backbenchers when they voted the
party line in lockstep. Do as your told or else.

Can anyone think of how corrupt, lying, senile a party leader need be before
central Canucks would vote against him or her? Think for a moment about the
current PM, Mr. Chretien. Chretien is a sterling example of the difference
between Western and central Canada. The man is a liar. He is so obsessed
with his political appearance; he invented a homeless man, so that he could
appear more benevolent. He arranges for bank loans for his criminal friends
to finance property they bought from him. The so-called Ethics Commissioner
in proclaiming Chretien's innocence only serves to underline that the
meaning of the word ethics is unknown at top level of our government.
Besides why would the Ethics Commissioner criticize the man to whom he is
solely accountable? Chretien even admits he likes dealing with eastern
politicians better because us Westerners are a "different type." In spite
of this, Chretien and his party took the majority of seats in Ontario and
Quebec. Understand that those from Ontario and Quebec who voted for change
aren't of this mold. They have more in common with us Westerners that those
who voted status quo.


Western Canadians have no hope of changing the political landscape at the
federal level. We are simply too alien (hence the title of this article) to
central Canada for them to understand or even want to try. It's sort of like
the old joke "Where does a 1000 pound gorilla sleep? - Anywhere he wants
to." Central Canada doesn't need to address us bumpkins out here in the
boondocks. The deck has been stacked against us. The rules are such that we
can't win in this political game at the federal level.

There is only one way we can control our own destiny. Western Canada must
shed the yoke central Canada has shackled us to. Western Canada must become
an independent sovereign nation.

How much plainer does it have to be?

Bob Lickacz