Response to a series of townhall meetings sponsored by Unified Grassroots to discuss the prospect of Saskatchewan’s separation from Canada have grown more contentious. A meeting organized by the group in Humboldt, slated for the Legion Hall on June 20, has been cancelled. The situation is the same for town halls in other communities that were using their Legion facilities as venues.
A statement by Chad Wagner, executive director of the Saskatchewan branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, said that United Grassroots’ public statement on separation don’t align with the Legion’s founding principles given that they imply an attack Canadian unity.
For its part, the Opposition New Democrats continue to call on Premier Scott Moe to decry the separatists messaging, especially considering the Legion’s decision to deny use of its facilities for the town meetings.
Hugh Gordon, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for Highways and Infrastructure, spoke on Tuesday. Gordon, who previously served as an RCMP officer for 24 years responded to the townhall cancellations and to Premier Moe’s assertion that the campaign was merely a conversation about “the future of our nation.”
“That’s not even close to what this is — this is a conversation about breaking up our nation,” said Gordon. “The fact that Scott Moe’s allies at Unified Grassroots would try to hold town halls on breaking up Canada in Saskatchewan Legions is insulting to our veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.”
Gordon went on to say that the Unified Grassroots messaging on separation was completely out of touch with the people in the province, and it would ultimately hurt the economy and the province’s future.
“We have seen that even the talk of separatism can kill jobs and investments. We’ve seen an example of this in Alberta in real time where ATCO has delayed an investment in that province.”
A statement from Unified Grassroots leader Nadine Ness paints the townhalls as civic events that are designed to teach how plebiscites and referendums function to “equip citizens critically, engage respectfully, and lead change from the ground up.
“If the Legion truly exists to serve veterans and communities, then it should welcome and celebrate conversations like these, not shut them down,” said Ness in the post. “We are asking them (Legion), respectfully but firmly, to reconsider.”
Legion facilities were withdrawn in Prince Albert, Weyburn, Estevan, Meadow Lake and Nipawin, along with Humboldt. There is no word as yet if United Grassroots is seeking other venues for its town gatherings.