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Conversations about western provinces separating from Canada have become more common over the past month.
The group Unified Grassroots held an event discussing the possibility of western separation at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon on Sunday. Around 150 people showed up to share their support and listen to the presentations.
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Unified Grassroots was founded in 2021, and has held events on and off since 2023.
Nadine Ness, the group’s founder and president, said the event on Sunday was about finding Saskatchewan’s identity and giving residents more say about what goes on in the province.
Some of the identity items discussed included agriculture, Indigenous culture, religion and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Around 150 people gathered at Praireland Park in Saskatoon on Sunday for a western separation event. (Will Mandzuk/650CKOM)
Ness said one of the biggest hurdles standing in the way of separation is treaty land, and what would happen to it if Saskatchewan were to separate from Canada.
“There’s three options. One is status quo; Canada keeps governing them,” Ness explained. “Another option would be Saskatchewan would take over the providing resources, funds and responsibility… and then the third option, which is the one to me that offers even more hope, is they could re-determine treaties with the new country.”
After the Liberals won a fourth consecutive term in April’s federal election, conversations about separatism in both Saskatchewan and Alberta began to grow. But Ness said that’s not the only reason separation is on the mind of some in Saskatchewan.
“(The Liberals) are directly doing policies that negatively affects our province,” she said. “I don’t think it’s just Liberals. I think it’s actually a global agenda that’s being pushed… You’re seeing it in every other country.”
Ness said that even if a referendum were held in Saskatchewan, it wouldn’t mean that separation would necessarily be the next step.
“It would be an opportunity of the biggest strength, or strongest position, to renegotiate with Ottawa new terms,” said Ness.
“I would rather the people who live here locally govern their country and govern Saskatchewan, because then it’s going to be more reflective of their culture, of their needs, and what they actually want.”
Ness also made it clear if Saskatchewan ever did separate from Canada, she wouldn’t want to see the province join the United States.
“I don’t want to go from Ottawa governing us to D.C. governing us,” she said.
While Ness is a separatist, she said Unified Grassroots is more focused on western sovereignty.
“Sovereignty doesn’t necessarily mean separation,” said Ness. “It means you get control over your own lives, over your own resources.”
Ness said the election and campaign period were eye opening for her.
“I wish I would see more strength come from Scott Moe on standing ground for Saskatchewan,” she said.
“Especially when things are hurting us and we can actually feel it, like the China tariff during the election campaign. If you Google Mark Carney, he didn’t mention it once, nor did Pierre Poilievre.”
As for what could be done to end the talk of separation, Ness said it goes beyond just a Conservative government in Ottawa.
“It’s a Conservative government that’s willing to represent the west,” she said. “If they were to treat the western provinces the same way they treat Quebec, then maybe we’d start being at the same respect level and then we’d start seeing less of that resentment building and it would start going down.”
The Saskatchewan NDP, meanwhile, has called on Premier Scott Moe to condemn the talk of separation.
“The Government of Saskatchewan is committed to ensuring that this province and the people that live here are part of a strong, united, growing and prosperous Canada,” the premier’s office said in a statement issued in response.
