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Wexit could soon be a federal political party

EDMONTON (CityNews) – The separatist group Wexit Alberta is hoping to one day be a voice in the House of Commons.

The organization was jolted after the Oct. 21 election which saw a Liberal minority government. Wexit went from a few thousand supporters to hundreds of thousands since the election ended.

READ MORE: Alberta anger turns to Wexit after Liberal election victory

The group is now applying to officially become a federal political party.

CityNews caught up with Wexit leader Peter Downing to talk about the rise of the movement and controversies already facing the proposed party.

Some members of Wexit have been linked to the Yellow Vest Movement.

Wexit also erected a billboard with the question “Is Trudeau leading us to Civil War?” connecting the Prime Minister to normalizing pedophilia, which Downing refuted.

While momentum does appear to be on the upswing for Wexit, Senior Writer for Maclean’s Jason Markusoff says the movement will lose steam.

“Once that people start learning who’s actually leading this movement, they may start re-trenching. This guy is not really ready for primetime, he’s not really ready to lead a movement. He’s ready to lead a bunch of angry people on Facebook but not much more than that.”

WATCH: Trade experts say Wexit pipeline plan not realistic 

Markusoff adds Wexit will likely not hold any power in Parliament and uses the Bloc Quebecois as an example.

“Did we notice them when they had around a dozen MPs in the last term? No. Will we notice them now when they have 30 some MPs? Yes. But they’ve also won that by deciding not to talk about separation anymore. They’re just a regional interest party.”

In order for a party to become registered, it must run a candidate in a general election or by-election.

Downing said they’re planning more rallies in Alberta including one in Calgary on Nov. 16 and another in Red Deer on Nov. 30.

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