Western Independence Now

By Ace Cetinski

   I was going to put aside my separatist sentiments and let Paul Martin go through a "flash in the pan" period that I thought would last at least to the next general election. His commitment to resolving western alienation sounded pretty good. It astounds even me that I am writing this column so soon after he has become Prime Minister. The honeymoon however, is already over and it's time for western Canada to show Quebec how this business of separating ought to be done.

   Thanks to the sponsorship scandals, I think at least 1/3rd of western Canadians are ready to take the independence plunge. While you might not think that a third of us is sufficient numbers, that's all it took to bring revolution to America.

   By now we must all realize that Ottawa is all about keeping Quebec and Ontario happy. The total disregard for our hard-earned tax dollars that go into the Ottawa pot, seeming from this end of the country to do nothing more than supply endless "mad money" for 250,000 bureaucrats, keep the Governor General in caviar and send mountains of cash to Quebec to stave off another round of the `je me souviens pouts.

   As if that's not bad enough, we also have to endure the socialist drivel that permeates every aspect of our lives. All of which is totally and diametrically opposed to the fundamental values and principles of the vast majority of westerners. Top this off with ever more encroachment in provincial areas of responsibility, a renewed vigor for the Kyoto Accord, more bilingualism, another billion dollars for the gun registry and it's enough to make you cash in your Loonies for good.

   Forget the "new" conservative party for it matters not who is in power in Ottawa because the name of the game remains the same. There's only one game we can really WIN. Western Independence Now.