Salmon Arm-Shuswap Conservative MLA David Williams
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/David Williams
April 04, 2025 - 6:00 AM
A Shuswap Conservative MLA accused of promoting western separatism and engaging in pro-Trump messaging on social media says he was misunderstood.
BC Conservative David Williams reposted a map depicting Canada's three western-most provinces and the Yukon as the "Republic of Western Canada" on March 30. Not only did the image suggest western separatism, but also labelled it as a "protectorate of the United States."
BC NDP MLA Ravi Parmar described the post as "another instance of pro-Trump, pro-US rhetoric" from the opposition party.
“Canada will never be the 51st state. For one of Rustad’s MLAs to promote British Columbia becoming a ‘Protectorate of the United States’ is appalling," he said in a news release.
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Williams, who represents the Salmon Arm-Shuswap riding, said the now-deleted post "came across wrong."
"I'm in disagreement," he said of the image's message which suggested Western Canada be under U.S. control as a protectorate like Puerto Rico.
"There's no way we're a protectorate of the United States. We're an independent country," Williams told iNFOnews.ca.
The repost came after weeks of threats from President Donald Trump to launch a trade war against Canada, while he has also referred to the nation as the future 51st state.
He said he didn't initially notice the reference to the U.S. and that's what prompted him to delete it. He also added commentary suggesting confederation "has not been fair" to western provinces.
"Something needs to change," his post read.
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The map also depicted the so-called "republic" as omitting BC's southern coast and the Lower Mainland, along with Vancouver Island, but Williams' commentary said "we must not give up" on those regions.
"The fact is, we're all British Columbians. We all share the same interests when it comes to taxation, when it comes to anything — we're all in this together," he said in an interview.
Though Williams stood by assertions that confederation has disproportionately benefits eastern provinces, he said he does not support separatism.
"I remain a strong advocate for B.C. and a proud Canadian. In no way, shape or form do I support western separatism," he told iNFOnews.ca.
The BC NDP has criticized the Conservative opposition as supporting Trump or opposing retaliation against the U.S.
Conservative leader John Rustad's questioning of retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. in February have been met with criticism.
Later that month, several Conservatives voted against a motion to condemn Trump's tariffs. Three of them, including Kelowna area MLA Tara Armstrong, are no longer members of the BC Conservative Party.
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