Separatist billboards pop up in Regina, Saskatoon

A small group of western separatists are spreading awareness of their cause this week by purchasing billboard space that asks a simple question:

“Should Saskatchewan leave Canada?”

The message is displayed on three billboards in the province: One in NDP MP Sheri Benson’s Saskatoon West riding, one in Liberal cabinet minister Ralph Goodale’s Regina-Wascana riding and another in Conservative leader Andrew Scheer’s Regina-Qu’appelle area.

Peter Downing, spokesperson for the Prairie Freedom Movement, told 650 CKOM in an interview Friday the message is that all of the major federal political parties are failing western Canada.

“Even our Conservative politicians out west, the electoral reality is they have to win votes in the Toronto area and Quebec,” he said, suggesting Scheer has been promising far more to Quebec than to the prairies.

Downing, who is based in Alberta, started with the separatist movement through a group called “Alberta Fights Back.” The small organization has also purchased billboard ad space in Calgary and Edmonton to raise the spectre of separation.

He said Prairie Freedom Movement has become an “umbrella organization” for separatist interests in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The frustration stems from a perceived dismissal from Ottawa of the plight of prairie industries, chiefly oil, gas and agriculture.

Downing also points to the fact the west can’t win on policy due to how the votes are divided between eastern and western Canada.

“We’re completely outvoted. We need to be able to develop a new negotiation tool,” he said.

He said the goal with the billboards is to raise awareness and to grow membership of the Prairie Freedom Movement, which has just under 6,000 likes on Facebook so far.

Downing said the billboard space was purchased with funds provided by individual donations. However, a website provided by the ad leads to a fundraising campaign for the advertisements themselves.

As of Friday afternoon, that campaign had raised $79.92 out of its $10,000 goal.