ee is Ee ies 3 “ egisre Tent ae ee — AO SET oaeregh ae Poe nt = a Oe ete pein ee rs ~ tcl a a” ? ‘nadians; a —,- ae M seckciabtiers ignored Clark's leadership ‘Editors’ Note: Hu Harries, & 59-year-old economic consultant and confirmed - federalist, is the founder of - The National, a political - party - dedicated fo repre. ‘senting the West. Harries, a former Liberal member of Parliament, formed the party in January. Its first ‘convention is ‘scheduled for May. _In this article, specially writien ‘for The Canadian Press, Harries discusses the need for westerners to have a voice in Ottawa. 4 By Hu Harries EDMONTON (CP) — On: -Feb. 28, 1961, — the Progressive . Conservative - party put the first knife in Joe Clark’s back. Fully a third of the delegates to the PC convention voted for a leadership review, These people obviously be- Heved that Clark could not win. Yet Joe Clark wiped aut ' the Liberal Party in the West. Joe Clark led his party . to the biggest vote the PCs had ‘ever won. west of the Lakehead, What the delegates to the PC Convention really meant when they said Joe Clark couldo’t win was that he © couldn’t win Torcnto. — Whether or not you like Joe * Clark or support the - “Tory party, the vote on Feb. 28 isa perfect example of the dilemma westerners are in- Metro * faced with, No matter what ‘we do politically, it all comes ae the cf ee tor A major parties be- < ee ‘Belb’or bl ean i Esst: While the West's economic power -Is growing we do not have the population to achieve real political power. . The current. Liberal government [s without a single elected member from British Columbia, Alberta or Saskatchewan. What have they got. to lose? The Con- servatives may have many weatefn inembers but they know they must win in the East in order to form ‘a government. To win in' the East the Conservatives canal afford to present a strong western viewpoint. Meanwhile,’ the New Democratic Party seems to have become a Liberal clone, It supports such things as-the Trudeau constitution and the national energy program. . For many Westerners the NDP is no alternative to the Liberals or the Conservatives. - What can westerns do? Some have decided that rather than endure four or five years of Liberal government . they would prefer to leave Canada altogether. Grassroots organizations ‘such as West Fed and Weatern Canada Concept are attracting ‘ disturbing numbers of & people with the slogan "Free, 3 The West.” - Western separatism, however, is much more a symptom than a solution. Any solution to the West's: ' anger arid allenation must be forged in the hard.coin of political power not the paper money of public rallles. Any solutions must recognize the - f bald fact that Westerners are passionate, patriotic Canadians. Angry Ca- but Canadians nonetheless. -On, Jan. 7, 1061 the first step toward a real solution was taken, The formation of ° 2 The National, a pro- Canadian, western-based : : party wes announced in Edmiston. The® time had come. to stop shouting at - Ottawa and begin ta organize a real, - politically ‘viable western-based Canadian The reasoning behind The National 15 straightforward. The Liberal party has ite political base in Quebec and: - the Conservatives ‘have thelr in Ontario, The West . needs & party of its, own, ‘wanted answers. Neither the Liberals nor’ the © -€on-" servatives seern to have the politica]. courage, ‘to’ give - tact answers, * my discussions ‘and When [sat aga Liberal MP: “om the: reports: ‘of The Tused to watch in irystration . as western Liberals — there. were some at that time — had their ideas shot down in‘ caucus by the. Central Canadian majority, I talked: to western Conservatives who told me about how their . ideas were killed in’ the Tory. . and over: ‘Hirst; ‘there .[s.too much: government,” ‘federal caucus because they canight cost votes in Metro Toronto... . I know that in -the Canadian system ‘the , poly, way a region can get what it wants, or at least avoid what itdoes not want, is to have its own national political party; ‘The game may be fixed, but if you don't play you can't win. 1 talked to literally tun. dreds of, Westerners about what we could do to maintain a strong West in a united Canada. One suggestion - came up again and again: thecreation of a real western party, a party organized to fight elections, a party in ‘which both Liberals. and Conservatives felt at home. The weaterners I talked to had views on a wide range of iesues: the national energy policy, the federal deficit, the refusal of the federal government to negotiate seriously with the oil- producing provinces, the - Constitution, port ‘facilities, high taxes. Westerners’ Kay. Parker, and National's’: organizers one thing ,* is ° very. clear: -Weaterners see Canada as a dynamic, ¢ strong nation, a natlon with an exciting future.- But weaternert see ‘that, _ bright ~ : _ fature -threatened, - Us “Twa themes came up over and provincial, in ‘Canada; ‘secom,. the federal govern- inent Is iotally-cut: of touch with the --West: The National wants:to do two simple things. First, we want to éreate a vehicle for people in the West who are tired of big government. - : Second, The National wants to elect enough western members to the House .of Commons so that no federal government: — Liberal or Conservative — will ever be able to ignore the West, . - - The National will give -westerners a real alternative to the eastern-dominated | old-time parti¢s — a political _ alternative organized to . fight and win elections. The . National is avoiding public . rallies and ix concentrating on 6 step-by-step, con- stituency-by-constituency organization drive. . Elections in Canada’ are not won at public meetings; they‘ are won in individual ; ed Rotmeyer draw for door prizes at Comfort Carpet’s opening day. Winners in the draw’ were Josle Ross, 4817 Park, who recelved.first prize of 25 yards of living room carpef;! Joyce Stevens, 4911 Straume, second prize winner of 15 yards of of. bedroom carpet and:Ada Solovionick, 4603 Scott who won 2 bet ANNOUNCES re ‘oom liner. PHONE wae - — CALL. New Stock eri every day. 7 yay tae ge eneteanesetaata” eae Wh THEIR NEW “ridings, Real pilitical pawer does not depend- on “how many people come ta hear a, party spokesman; - : real political power can ouly: be’ achieved when a party elects” members “to the House of. : Commons, « - In the next federal election The National will run ‘candi- dates in every riding in the West; We do not need to win’ more than a handful of seats - in order. to: make ‘sure the West is beard i in Parliament.” - Six “of Canada’s’ last: 0 federal governmerits . were minorities. The last Con- servative government © fell for the want of ax Creditiste. voles. IE you took at how mpch party policy has be- -.come the law of the land, the NDP is the most successful “of Canada’s political parties. ‘Yet the NDP has never: ‘held more than 35 seats. . ‘The election of 20° National ' MPs would mean that. the major parties ‘could. never ignore the West again. Not, only would there be 4 strong : Clear voice from the West on - the floor of the Commons, but, in a minority: situation, the yoles of National. MPa. ‘would be necessary to Keepa government .in When The National. WAS te founded we knew that lot of people would believe that we were working only for. the ” West, This is not true. We want to build a base in the West just as the Liberals have in Quebec and | ‘the , Conservatives in Ontario. Our policies will be hased-on 7 _ what westerners see as Can-: | ada'a national interest. For ‘example, we believe all natural resources " and ‘primary products must be ° y sold at world prices.. The: National believes this policy will have benefits for all.Ca- -nadians. 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