History
Wexit Saskatchewan
The 2019 federal election provided the impetus for the organization of the Buffalo Party. The Conservative Party of Canada won every seat in Saskatchewan, and 54 out of 62 across the Prairie provinces, while the Liberal Party of Canada secured a minority government. The results stoked feelings of western alienation, or the sense that western Canadian perspectives were being ignored at the federal level.[3] Immediately after the election, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe proposed a "New Deal" with the federal government. He called for an end to the federal carbon tax, renegotiation of the equalization formula, and the approval of new pipeline projects.[4] In the weeks after the election, discussions began about the creation of a new western separatist party, a political strategy that had previously gained traction on the Prairies in the early 1980s, resulting in parties like the Western Canada Concept and the Unionest Party.[5] The new movement was dubbed the "Wexit" movement, a portmanteau of "western" and "exit" and a play on Brexit.[6][7] The movement adopted the slogan "The West Wants Out", the inverse of Preston Manning's Reform Party slogan from the 1980s, "The West Wants In".[7]
In the fall of 2019, volunteers began collecting signatures to form a Wexit Party in Saskatchewan.[8] The group emphasized that their priority was to pressure Moe to hold a referendum on separation for the province, and that if he did not agree to do so they would form a party with that goal in mind.[6][8] While the Saskatchewan Party government issued a statement that it was opposed to secession, former Sask Party MLA—and Reform Party MP—Allan Kerpan acted as a spokesperson for the Wexit Saskatchewan group.[9]
On March 10, 2020, Wexit Saskatchewan was officially registered as a provincial party by Elections Saskatchewan, with Jake Wall serving as interim leader.[10] Once registered, Wexit Saskatchewan proposed a referendum on independence in its platform.
Buffalo Party
In July 2020, the party announced that membership had voted to change its name to the Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan, and that Wall had stepped down as interim leader and had been replaced by Wade Sira, who was appointed by the party's board.[11] The Buffalo name was derived from the early twentieth century proposal to create one large western province called Buffalo, before the federal government instead created two new provinces in Alberta and Saskatchewan.[11] Sira stated that the party's priority remained independence, and that if a proposed referendum on separation failed to pass, the party would continue to advocate for greater sovereignty, including in the areas of immigration and natural resources. Sira pointed to Quebec's position within Confederation as something the province could aim to emulate.[11]
Other Wexit parties similarly rebranded. Wexit Canada became the Maverick Party, while the Alberta party merged another, the Freedom Conservative Party, to form the Wildrose Independence Party.[12][13]
Elections
The Buffalo Party ran seventeen candidates, including Sira, in the 2020 provincial election. The party ran on a platform opposing public health mandates—the 2020 election took place during the COVID-19 pandemic—and proposing tax cuts; during the campaign, Sira also claimed that the province was not being negatively impacted by climate change.[14]
The party surprised many by finishing second in four rural ridings and third in the provincial popular vote—with 2.6%—despite not running candidates in 44 of 61 districts.[15] The party had second place finishes to the Saskatchewan Party in Cypress Hills, Kindersley, Estevan, and Cannington—the only third party to secure a second place finish in any district.[15] Immediately after the election, in which Moe's Saskatchewan Party was re-elected, Moe made statements supporting greater independence and autonomy for Saskatchewan, stating that his government shared the "frustrations" and many of the "objectives" of Buffalo Party supporters.[16] Moe would later adopt similar language to the Buffalo Party, calling for Saskatchewan to be recognized as a "nation within a nation" and for more autonomy in the areas of policing, immigration, and taxation.[17]
On August 31, 2021, Sira was removed as interim leader of the party after a unanimous vote by the party's board.[18] Sira, who missed the meeting, said he found out about his removal through media reports.[18] After the decision was announced, nine party caucus members signed a letter criticizing the board decision and alleging that the board ignored conflicts of interest in making the decision; the members asserted that the caucus still had confidence in Sira's leadership.[19] The party board accused Sira of making unapproved financial commitments, which Sira denied.[19] The party planned to launch a formal leadership selection process at its annual general meeting in the fall of 2021.[18] Shirley Huber was chosen to replace Sira as interim leader.[20]
On March 25, 2022, Phillip Zajac, who finished second as a Buffalo candidate in the Estevan riding in the 2020 provincial election, became the first elected leader of the Buffalo Party, defeating Clint Arnason, the party's candidate in the 2022 by-election in the Athabasca riding.[20] Zajac appeared to soften the party's stance on independence, stating that the party desired more autonomy, and that it sought smaller government and lower taxes.[21]
The party contested a provincial by-election in September 2022 in Saskatoon Meewasin, with former People's Party of Canada candidate Mark Friesen as its candidate;[22] Friesen, a prominent protester of public health measures who was sent to Ontario for intensive care treatment for COVID-19, finished fourth.[23] The party contested another by-election in August 2023 in Lumsden-Morse, again finishing fourth.[24]
Ideology
While the Buffalo Party's primary aim as been to secure a referendum on independence for Saskatchewan, much of its politics have been described as traditionally right-wing and populist.[25][26] The party favours smaller government, lower taxes, and promotes individualism.[21] In recent years, there has been a proliferation of right-wing political movements in the province, and Zajac has stated that he has invited other groups to join the Buffalo Party. These include members of Unified Grassroots, an anti-vaccine mandate group that ultimately played a role in the formation of another new party, the Saskatchewan United Party, in 2022, and the Christian conservative group True North Saskatchewan, who were also seeking party registration in 2022.[21][26]
In 2023, the Buffalo Party listed the "True North Declaration" as one of its party documents; the document, written by a British Columbia resident, is a Christian conservative populist manifesto asserting self determination for provinces and territories.[27]
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