Press Release, April 1994
Canada was an impractical and unworkable institution at the best of times. In a time when resources were inexhaustible and the West (primarily) could fund any amount of waste, this really didn't matter. It does today.
Canada is approaching the end of the line. The dollar has no more elasticity. The resources are approaching depletion in many regions, particularly the East. The manufacturing sector due to taxes, cost of living and wage demands of unionized workers, is no longer competitive. The cost of government has escalated along with the debt and deficit to make higher taxes unbearable and unrewarding, and further depress the economy.
The weaker dollar; at the same time, has made the cost of imports higherjust as Canadian manufacturing in Eastern Canada has collapsed due to the lower tax rates in the U.S. and elsewhere making relocation of Ontario industries attractive. The small captive market of Canadian consumers has become captive to itself and its smallness. The demands of government to keep spending and increase taxes have depressed the dollar which in turn has raised the cost of government borrowing due to a rise in interest rates made necessary by the lack of confidence in the Canadian economy. Foreign borrowing has caught up to us.
It all sounds very much like a vicious circle, but that is the state of affairs for any bankrupt. They cannot pay their debts because they cannot borrow. The cannot borrow because they cannot pay their debts. This is the end of the line for a bankrupt. It is the end of the line for Canada as a political institution.
Even as this is happening, the self-seeking, crafty opportunistic and thoroughly sophisticated voters of Quebec are considering whether there is any milk left in the old Canadian cow. They know a sick cow when they see one and more and more they see no benefit for themselves in Canada. They will soon create their own dynamic economy.
When Mr. Thiessen, Governor of the Bank of Canada, says the fundamentals are good, just what is he talking about? The Maritimes are an economic basket case. Quebec is vital, but iffy, as to loyalty. Ontario with a falling NDP bond rating and depressed markets all around isn't "fundamentally" good.
The west, B.C. and Alberta particularly, is probably what he is talking about. The petroleum, agriculture, forestry, fresh water, mining, and the common language, are all fundamentally sound economic indicators. For tourism, we have the best of all possible worlds and in a growing world market particularly from Europe. Our governments are more fiscally responsible and they can see a light at the end of the tunnel, unlike the rest of the country.
Canada has reached the end of the line. The west is just about to come into its own. The big question is will enough Western Canadians realize this in time and be positive about independence. Will they in sufficient numbers develop a political vehicle for improved government in our own constitution. Will they be seduced into vague economic arrangements like Cascadia. Will they close the doors on immigration before our cultural unity is lost, or will they ghettoize and eventually fracture this region, too?
These serious questions should be immediately addressed. The present course of drifting downstream is a disaster; as I can hear the falls while Preston, Jean and Lucien squabble over the best seats on the Titanic.
Free the West.
Douglas Christie
Western Canada Concept
810 Courtney Street, Victoria, B.C.
V8W 1C4