Portrait - Fabulous Western Canada: Capture the Excitement of the Great West! - page 19

AUTONOMIST
AMBITIONS

Drawing on Western Canada's sense
of alienation and the extreme right's
disappointment with the weakness
of the Mulroney government, Preston
Manning, son of Ernest Manning (Prime
Minister of Alberta from 1944 to 1968),
founded the Reform Party in Vancouver
in 1987. This party advocated, among
other things, a smaller, less costly fed-
eral government and the reduction of
federal expenditures. Westerners mas-
sively supported the Reform Party dur-
ing the 1993 and 1997 elections.

Talk of British Columbia separating fi rst
surfaced in the late 1980s and has re-
surfaced many times since. As a prov-
ince whose economic well-being is
more dependent on Asia than on the
rest of Canada, it is naturally less inter-
ested in what goes on in Ottawa. This
is further emphasized by the fact that its
industries are heavily based on the ex-
ploitation of natural resources, and that
these are for the most part provincially
regulated, except fi sheries. And the
feeling goes both ways; Ottawa is not
involved in and therefore rarely spends
much time on B.C. issues; its endless
constitutional wrangling is that much
more resented by British Columbians.

5

John Diefenbaker pointing at an adversary in
the House of Commons. © Archives Canada;
C-080883

5 Lester B. Pearson. © Glenbow Archives; NA-1491-2