Wildrose Independence Party gaining support in Lakeland

The leader of a new provincial party made stops in the Lakeland at the tail end of last week with a message to separate from Canada.

Paul Hinman, interim leader of Alberta Wildrose Independence Party, spoke at the Lakeland Inn in Cold Lake last Thursday and helped christen the new constituency office for the Vermilion-Lloydminster-Wainwright riding.

Since the Wexit and Freedom Conservative Party merged together in late June, 5500 members have joined the party, but the northeast seems to be some of the most passionate.

The Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul constituency was the first with a WIPA office.

“Bottom line: Albertans are being mistreated. We have a federal government that is putting us into a stranglehold,” said Hinman to Lakeland Connect on Friday.

“We have world-class environmental regulations, world-class labor regulations, it’s just phenomenal what we’re doing for the people of the world and producing clean energy. We respect human rights here.

“Bottom line, we’re being viciously attacked by the world. I don’t know, I guess I want to call them extremists, but to me, they hate humanity, and want to do whatever they can to oppress the world and have a globalist world government and control our lives and what we do.

“We need to have government and leaders that are standing up and stand up to these tyrants, and say, we’re going to put our house in order and have our own sovereign nation.”

Hinman has political experience, twice earning a seat in the Legislature with the Alberta Alliance Party in 2004. Then when the party united with the Wildrose in 2008, he won a byelection in the Calgary-Glenrose riding.

He says the federal government is not respecting the Constitution, and Alberta needs to create its own police force, pension plan, employment insurance, immigration policy, environmental act, develop new trade agreements, create an Alberta Constitution, and push for a referendum on separating from Canada.

He said the delays surrounding TC Energy’s Nova gas pipeline expansion is an example of a federal government dragging their feet, and the provincial government not standing up for Alberta.

The pipeline was approved on Oct. 19, but because of the delays, TC Energy is not expected to hit their target of starting construction in the summer/fall of 2021.

“The biggest and most disgusting lately is TC Energy’s Nova gas transmission line expansion here inside Alberta to connect the Alberta hub. We have major choke holds, and they’ve had to put restraints on production. It’s not been a good situation.

“There was over 1.5 billion of capital expenses that we’re looking at for drilling and other things going on this winter because this line was supposed to be done by next spring $2.4 billion investment by TC energy 5500 jobs.

“We needed those jobs, we needed that capital. And it was shut down and for nothing but political reasons.

“Our provincial government was absolutely silent on this and didn’t stand up and how Ottawa, mind your own business, it’s not in your jurisdiction, it’s within our province, we have the right to develop and transport our resources.”

The party is busy gaining support from more areas in the province.

Calgary East and Airdrie-Cochrane have founding association meetings later this week.

“Ottawa will be the determinant on how fast we have that they continue and try to oppress us and step on our industry. It’s going to happen quickly if they let us put our house in order and build the province back up to where it should be.

“This is about putting Alberta first. Bring our businesses first. And as we do those things, we’ll climb the mountain one camp the time, and then we get to the top, I think people are going to be pretty excited.”