UPDATE: Local separatist group looking to part from Canada

UPDATE: More information has been added to the story.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A group of residents are looking to get Northeast British Columbia separated as a sovereign republic from Canada. 

The group hosted a meeting at the Charlie Lake Community Hall on January 4th, lasting close to two hours and outlined the group’s intent and reasons for wanting to separate. 

Issues such as climate change, education, health care, and government were raised in the meeting and the multiple handouts. 

The group expressed disbelief in the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines and took issue with things such as mask and vaccine mandates. Many people in the group, and many of the handouts, also expressed disbelief in climate change and spoke negatively about the United Nations (UN). 

The handouts and discussions during the meeting also discussed ways the group believed schools and the government were attempting to “groom” children. Through this, they expressed negative views on members of the LGBTQ+ community, with one man going so far as to claim that transgender individuals were “mentally ill.” 

Multiple transphobic comments were made throughout the duration of the meeting. Homophobic rhetoric, such as calling members of the LGBTQ+ community “pedophiles,” also occurred at the meeting. 

The exact quote references SOGI 1 2 3. A school program that is defined on its website as a program that helps make schools safe for children of all sexual orientations and identities.

“At a SOGI-inclusive school, students’ gender does not limit their interests and opportunities, and their sexual orientation and how they understand and express their gender are welcomed without discrimination,” said the SOGI website.

During the meeting, one of the speakers said the following;

“I don’t know if you guys are up to speed on this SOGI program. Sexual orientation and gender identification, and it’s being taught in our children. Starting at the age of five and six. They are grooming our children to suit into their pedophile rings.”

The group put two plans into motion at the meeting. The first was the discussion of wanting to remove the Peace River North MLA Dan Davies through the Elections BC recall process. A petition was passed around during the meeting to begin collecting signatures. 

According to an email to Dan Davies, provided by the separatist group to Energeticcity.ca, the group’s main issue with Davies was the belief that Davies had lied about voting down Bill 36. Bill 36 is the new Health Professions and Occupations Act passed by the provincial government. The group raised many issues with the bill, including preventing unvaccinated medical workers from returning to work. 

The email was written by group member Wayne Bell, who, at the end of the email, demanded Davies step down. 

“I hate to say it, but it is time for you to step down,” Bell wrote. “You will not meet with the people of the Peace. Nor will you inform us of things we should know.” 

Bill 36 was voted on in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia on November 24th, 2022. According to the record of proceedings from the session, Davies abstained from voting on the bill and later said that it was due to not having sufficient time to read through the document.

Since its inception in 1995, Elections BC has seen 27 attempted recalls of an MLA — none of them have succeeded. 

According to Elections BC’s website, no official campaign to recall Dan Davies has been started at the time of publication. 

The second plan discussed was their intent to hold a peaceful demonstration outside the MLA’s office to talk with nurses and doctors who had not been allowed back to work due to being unvaccinated.  

This demonstration started at 11 a.m. on January 5th outside the MLA’s office in Fort St. John. At the time of the demonstration, no doctors or nurses were on the scene to speak. 

Wayne Bell spoke with Energeticcity.ca at the demonstration, saying the group’s next step was to push for independence and get rid of the existing government at both a federal and provincial level. 

Based on discussions at the introductory meeting and the demonstration, the group does not have a concrete plan as of yet. They said they are currently focused on getting a solid base of members.

The definition of “separatist,” as per the Cambridge Dictionary, is “someone who is a member of a particular race, religion, or other group within a country and who believes that this group should be independent and have their own government or in some way live apart from other people.”

By the same dictionary, independence is defined as “freedom from being governed or ruled by another country.”

In order to attain independence, a separatist movement is necessary as it is through separatism and separatist rhetoric that independence is achieved.

At the time of the demonstration, Dan Davies was away from the office, and when asked about the group said he was not “fully sure what the group is.” Davies also expressed that he understood the confusion on the voting for the first and second readings of Bill 36 to get it read and debated. 

According to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, a bill must pass through three readings. The first reading is when the bill is introduced, and the vote is only to determine whether it will be accepted for further debate. The second reading discusses the overall goals and merits of the bill. It does not delve into specifics. The third reading is when the entire bill is read, and then the debate for the bill occurs.

For more information on how laws are passed in British Columbia, please refer to the Legislation of British Columbia’s website. 

A scanned PDF copy of two handouts from the initial meeting, the Just a Few Reasons for Independence and Declaration of Independence for the Sovereign Republic of North East British Columbia, can be found below:

Audio as recorded by Energeticcity.ca from the initial meeting can be found below: