British Columbia Refederation Party
Encyclopedia
The B.C. Refederation Party ("RefedBC") is a provincial political party in British Columbia
, Canada
advocating direct democracy
and reform to Canadian federalism
. It was formed shortly after the 2000 federal election
as the Western Independence Party of British Columbia with an explicit western separatist platform; it later renamed itself as the Western Refederation Party of British Columbia before ultimately adopting its current name.
The party has since slightly changed its focus; it now hopes to force changes to the way that British Columbia is governed within Canada. BC Refederation believes in the collective wisdom of the people of BC and believes that nothing initiated by the citizens should be restricted including being allowed a provincial referendum on political independence from Canada for British Columbia if desired by the public.
The B.C. Refederation Party argues that there are three constitutional flaws in Canada. The first, that there exists no confederation document approved democratically. The second, that there exists no democratically achieved constitutional documents federally or provincially and the third, that there is no constitutional basis for the federal government's rights to collect income tax.
As the Western Refederation Party of British Columbia, RefedBC nominated four candidates in the 2005 provincial election
, who won a total of 653 votes (0.039% of the popular vote across the province):
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
advocating direct democracy
Direct democracy
Direct democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
and reform to Canadian federalism
Canadian federalism
Canada is a federation with two distinct jurisdictions of political authority: the country-wide federal government and the ten regionally-based provincial governments. It also has three territorial governments in the far north, though these are subject to the federal government...
. It was formed shortly after the 2000 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
as the Western Independence Party of British Columbia with an explicit western separatist platform; it later renamed itself as the Western Refederation Party of British Columbia before ultimately adopting its current name.
The party has since slightly changed its focus; it now hopes to force changes to the way that British Columbia is governed within Canada. BC Refederation believes in the collective wisdom of the people of BC and believes that nothing initiated by the citizens should be restricted including being allowed a provincial referendum on political independence from Canada for British Columbia if desired by the public.
The B.C. Refederation Party argues that there are three constitutional flaws in Canada. The first, that there exists no confederation document approved democratically. The second, that there exists no democratically achieved constitutional documents federally or provincially and the third, that there is no constitutional basis for the federal government's rights to collect income tax.
As the Western Refederation Party of British Columbia, RefedBC nominated four candidates in the 2005 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 2005
The 38th British Columbia general election was held on May 17, 2005, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia , Canada. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
, who won a total of 653 votes (0.039% of the popular vote across the province):
- Bruce Ryder won 275 votes (0.90% of the total) in Nanaimo-ParksvilleNanaimo-ParksvilleNanaimo-Parksville was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 2001 to 2009.- Demographics :-1999 Redistribution:...
, - Linden Robert Shaw won 168 votes (0.69%) in Nanaimo
- Allen McIntyre won 149 votes (0.62%) in Powell River-Sunshine CoastPowell River-Sunshine CoastPowell River-Sunshine Coast is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada.- Demographics :- Member of Legislative Assembly :...
, and - Mel Garden won 61 votes (0.21%) in Comox Valley.
Party program
The goals of the B.C. Refederation Party are contained in a three-step plan.- Enact direct democracyDirect democracyDirect democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
to immediately empower the citizens of BC to control politicians and the political process. - Create a citizen designed and ratified written constitution that will entrench the rights of citizens and clearly define the rights of citizens over government.
- Regain areas of former provincial control from the federal government. This combined with the application of direct democracy principles will amount to a re-federation. This does not mean separation.
See also
- List of British Columbia political parties