Wexit Party Changes Name To Maverick Party. Says It’s Not Really About ‘Top Gun’
Wexit Canada, the federal party created to advocate for western separatism, is undergoing a makeover. And it’s taking the highway to the danger zone to do it with a new name:
The Maverick Party.
Interim leader Jay Hill confirmed the party registered its new name with elections Canada Thursday. In messaging to members, leader Hill said the name change is meant to give the party its own identity separate from other similarly named movements like Brexit.
“Wexit is the movement that gave birth to our party, but the party has evolved and needs to establish its own identity,” he said.
WATCH: Kenney rebukes would-be separatists. Story continues below.
Various political parties associated with western separatism have popped up over the years, particularly in Alberta, but the “Wexit” — short for “western exit” — movement gained steam following the 2019 federal election, which saw Justin Trudeau’s Liberals form government despite not taking a single seat in Alberta or Saskatchewan. However, the original movement and its leader Peter Downing were marred in various controversies, including associations with far-right conspiracy theory movements and white nationalism.
Hill, a former MP and House Leader under Stephen Harper, was named interim leader of the federal party earlier this summer when Downing said he was moving on to other projects. The party says a new leader will be elected at the party convention at a later date.
According to Hill, a poll of Wexit Canada members earlier this summer two thirds wanted a name change. The new name was picked and approved by the party’s board.
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