Wildrose Makes First Campaign Stop in Vancouver

The Wildrose Party kicked off its election campaign in Vancouver this afternoon with a rally in the Downtown Fountain Park, followed by private meetings with police chiefs and oil and gas industry workers.

Wildrose leader Dr. Gord Smith focused on his long-standing promise to strengthen the Western economy and open up Canada's oil and gas industry to the world.

'Time to take control of what's ours'

"The government has neglected us for too long," Smith said to attendees during the rally. "It's time to take control of what's ours," referring to his promise to end equalization payments, which have been in place since 1982 to support provinces with fewer economic sources continue to provide public services. Proponents of the move away from equalization payments call them an unfair subsidization of certain lifestyles.

He also promised to unleash Canada's natural resource sector through investments in the oil and gas industry. Smith says he envisions energy trade with Europe, while ruling out any dealings with the United States in light of escalating tariff threats from the White House.

Federal money for public safety

Smith met with police leaders in Vancouver behind closed doors Friday night, according to a source familiar with the issue. There, he promised that Ottawa would directly fund municipal police agencies going forward, a move that has constitutional scholars scratching their heads.

"The federal government doesn't have the authority to directly fund provincial issues like policing," York Law professor Peter Hogg told The True North. Hogg added that it is almost certainly an attempt to appeal to "low-information voters" in light of worsened public perceptions of crime rates.

Campaign Rallies 'A Dangerous Place to Be'

In a continuing trend of security issues at rallies, there were several incidents requiring police and security involvement during the event. At least one fight broke out among the crowd, and there are unconfirmed reports of at least 2 police shootings.

"The police are aware of an interaction that occurred in Vancouver this afternoon," according to Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre, who refused to provide specific details citing an ongoing investigation. A spokeswoman for the province's police watchdog told reports that "more information will be published as it becomes available."