By: Daryn J. Stack
Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is known for saying, “There is not a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would ever become the 51st state.” However, as tensions between the United States and Canada continue to escalate, that snowball seems more likely than previously imagined.
WEXIT, the Western Canadian separatist founded in 2014, is trending. This movement’s goal is for the western provinces to secede from Canada. Until now, WEXIT was isolated to Western Canada and was often used as leverage. The argument for WEXIT has been economic in nature, however, it also holds cultural and political significance because Western Canada is far more conservative than the East.
Recently, the movement has gained traction due to policies and political discourse in Canada that increasingly diverge from the values and interests of the western provinces. Western Canada is fundamentally different from its eastern neighbors, and the federal government’s equalization payments have only added fuel to the fire.
Additionally, Donald Trump’s recent remarks about Canada have fueled discussions of secession. Canadian premiers have been focused on these comments and many Canadians are closely awaiting the impact that United States tariffs will have on the Canadian market.
Some believe that if the western provinces were to secede, they would ultimately join the United States. The timeline for this movement appears to be accelerating, as a delegation from the province of Alberta plans to meet with Trump soon. The delegation, led by Alberta lawyer Jeffery Rath, is small at the moment but believes it has the potential to grow. Their goal is to discuss options for secession and the possibility of joining the United States.
