Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Todd Muir is campaigning on pursuing western independence as the Maverick Party candidate for the Yellowhead riding.
Muir is a high school teacher in Drayton Valley, where he lives with his wife Thanh and their two kids. He has taught physical education and social studies.
Muir said he became involved with politics due to the increasing national deficit, the growth of the federal government, and the 鈥渂rowbeating鈥� of resource-based economies in the west.
鈥�(The federal government is) getting a vast amount of their money from Alberta and other western resource-based provinces from equalization, another federal program,鈥� he said.
鈥淏ut there鈥檚 a lack of support for our actual resources that pay those bills.鈥�
Formerly known as Wexit Canada, the Maverick Party rebranded last year with the goal of achieving greater fairness and self-determination for Western Canadians.
Muir described the Maverick Party as Conservative-based, except his party would speak for the interests of Albertans, unlike the Conservative Party of Canada, which he asserts has to cater to Quebec while western MPs are silenced.
鈥淲e will not be silenced. We don鈥檛 have to appease Ontario or Quebec, and that鈥檚 another appealing aspect of the Maverick Party for me.鈥�
The party has adopted a 鈥渢win-track approach鈥� with one track involving constitutional change and the other proposing the creation of a western nation.
鈥淚f we had to leave Canada to get a better deal for ourselves, I would be disappointed, but I鈥檇 be willing to do it,鈥� Muir said.
鈥淏ut I think that we should at least say what we want clearly and try to get a better deal.鈥�
While Muir said he was excited for a snap election, he wished it were a couple months from now in order to give his party more time to promote itself.
鈥淥nce people in this riding learn who we are and look at our platform, a good majority are going to be brought to it, and I really think we can win this election.鈥�
Muir added that he wasn鈥檛 worried about splitting the vote, because Conservative incumbent Gerald Soroka won 82 per cent of the Yellowhead vote last election.
鈥淚f we split exactly 50/50, or let鈥檚 say I get 42 and he gets 40 per cent, we鈥檙e still 30 per cent up on the NDP or the Liberals, and even if you combine the vote, we鈥檙e still 25 per cent up on them,鈥� Muir said.
鈥淰ote splitting is not an issue, so I think voters who want a Conservative-based party, do they want the same old, same old, somebody who has to speak for Ontario or Quebec, or do they want somebody like myself who鈥檚 free to speak for Albertans?鈥�
The 2021 federal election will take place on Sept. 20.
Learn more about Muir at
