Wildrose Independence Party candidate Jeevan Mangat speaks during this week's Chamber of Commerce byelection forum at Medicine Hat College. The Calgary-based party leader says Alberta shouldn't be afraid to move toward the creation of an independent nation.--News Photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Wildrose Independence Party Leader Jeevan Mangat says the goal of running in the Brooks-Medicine Hat byelection is to promote his party and keep a referendum on separation fresh in the minds of voters and politicians.
But, that would be an eventual result after concerted moves to gain provincial control of issues such as policing, pensions, immigration policy and other matters.
“The founding principle is to hold a referendum, but in the short term that’s not an immediate concern,” Mangat told the News. “We do realize that being an independent country takes a lot, and there would be many steps to be taken before we can move to a referendum.”
Mangat, who was certified as leader this month in a court battle with founding leader Paul Hinman, is among five candidates on the ballot of the byelection that will be decided with voting on Tuesday.
He faces Independence Party of Alberta candidate Bob Blayone, New Democrat Gwendoline Dirk, Alberta Party Leader Barry Morishita and United Conservative Leader Danielle Smith.
Smith won her party’s leadership promising to draft a “Sovereignty Act” she says would challenge federal government policy and laws deemed harmful to Alberta’s interests.
Mangat supports the general proposal, but says pressure must be kept on, and he holds no illusions the relationship with Ottawa could be repaired or managed.
“People ask how can we separate, we’re Canadians?’ but they have a romantic view of Canada,” he said. “There’s a level of anger in Alberta now, after being punished over and over by Ottawa. The only way out is to remove ourselves from that cycle.”
Blayone, of the Independence Party of Alberta, has a similar position, but says Smith’s plan would fail at the Supreme Court, at which point, he says, Smith would respect the decisions, leaving no change.
He would like more aggressive action, including an immediate referendum to force open negotiations sooner.
At Thursday’s Chamber of Commerce debate at Medicine Hat College, Mangat described his party’s stances as heavily in favour of free-market ideals.
Mangat, 64, holds an engineering degree from the University of Calgary and has worked for the past two decades as a commercial property manager with a large national firm.
He ran unsuccessfully in the 2012 and 2015 provincial elections in Calgary for the Wildrose Party, which he said was an inspirational movement.
He also points to the 1980s when separation discussions peaked following the National Energy Program, and a Western Canadian Concept Party MLA was elected.
“It can be done again,” he said.
