The Western Independence Party of Manitoba was a political party in the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was formed in 1987 by Fred Cameron, formerly the leader of the province's Western Canada Concept. It is unclear if the Manitoba WIP was simply a renamed WCC or an entirely new organization. The Manitoba WCC seems to have disappeared soon after the WIP's founding.
Like the WCC, the WIP promoted independence and nationhood for Canada's four western provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia). The Manitoba branch of the party participated in the province's 1988 and 1990 elections, with Cameron as its leader.
The WIP ran 16 candidates in the 1988 election, considerably more than the five run by the WCC in the 1986 election. Cameron ran against Gary Doer in the north Winnipeg riding of Concordia, and received 114 votes. No WIP candidate came close to being elected.
The WIP ran six candidates in the 1990 election. Cameron again ran against Doer, this time receiving 168 votes. Once again, no WIP candidate came close to being elected.
The party was still registered with Elections Manitoba in the 1995 election, but did not run any candidates. In 2003, a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation report on the Saskatchewan WIP made reference to the Manitoba party's continued existence. It has not participated in any elections since 1990, however.
Famous quotes containing the words western, independence and/or party:
“It is said that some Western steamers can run on a heavy dew, whence we can imagine what a canoe may do.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Traditionally in American society, men have been trained for both competition and teamwork through sports, while women have been reared to merge their welfare with that of the family, with fewer opportunities for either independence or other team identifications, and fewer challenges to direct competition. In effect, women have been circumscribed within that unit where the benefit of one is most easily believed to be the benefit of all.”
—Mary Catherine Bateson (b. 1939)
“There was an old party of Lyme
Who married three wives at one time.”
—Edward Lear (1812–1888)