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The Press Release
(2005/8/26):
TrendLines Poll:
Should The Yukon Secede from Canada?
Judas Creek, YT - Almost one of five Yukoners
favours Separation from Canada, should the Western Provinces decide in the
future to go it alone. In the first survey of its kind in the Yukon, a new poll
by TrendLines, an established polling firm recently relocated to Judas Creek,
shows that 18% of Yukoners support joining with BC & Alberta should those
Provinces decide to secede from Canada. This follows on the heels of a
simultaneous poll in the four western provinces where support for Secession
talks ranges from 42% - 28%. Whereas the Western Standard poll asked a softer
question with respect to "opening discussions" on Separation, the TrendLines
poll was more direct and asked 449 Yukon residents if they favour outright
Secession from Canada in an alliance with Alberta & BC.
Our hot spots for western alienation from Ottawa are the Southern Lakes
Electoral District where almost four in ten (38%) voted in favour, followed by
about one in four in Klondike (29%), Watson Lake (27%), Whitehorse Centre (25%),
Kluane & Vuntut Gwitchin (24%) and one in five in Whitehorse West (20%).
Federalism is highest in Riverdale South where the support for Secession was
only one in 25 (4%), followed by Pelly-Nisutlin (9%), Porter Creek North (11%),
Porter Creek South, Riverdale North & McIntyre-Takhini (13%), Mount Lorne & Lake
Laberge (17%), Mayo-Tatchun & Porter Creek Centre (18%) and Copperbelt (19%).
Over the past several years, growing
fatigue with Ottawa has bred active Secession oriented Parties in BC, Alberta,
Saskatchewan & Manitoba.
TrendLines analyst, Freddy Hutter, stated that the question asking if Yukoners
wish to Secede from Canada was a stealth timebomb included in a survey asking
about local support for the major political parties should there be either a
Federal or Territorial Election in the coming months. More results of those
ongoing surveys and tabulations will be released next week.
Hutter continued "I sense that the West has
resigned to itself over the Gomery Commission that Westerners have a different
value system and priorities than the East. Whereas jobs, growth, political
correctness and status quo are all important to Ontario, the West sees itself
now as more principled and that its hopes for Reform's reforms will never be.
Whether it is a serious movement or underlies a ploy for concessions, i don't
know, but western alienation is presenting itself in a Secession movement.
There are lotsa frustrations but at this point in time the West and North know
they have an ace to play ... energy resources. That self confidence can allow
this to take on a life of its own if it gets momentum...
especially if some charismatic figure comes to the forefront with lotsa
passion. There is a direct correlation between old Reform hotbeds in the Yukon
and pockets of pro-secession sentiment."
TrendLines, active in economic and political affairs since 1989, is renowned for
its Federal Riding Projection that illustrates how many seats each Party would
win if a Canadian Election were called. The balance of the current Yukon survey
will answer inquiring minds that wonder for example how Larry Bagnell will do
against yet unnamed Conservative and NDP candidates in Paul Martin's pledge for
a January writ drop. Or, how many MLA's the Yukon Party will retain when Dennis
Fentie attempts to renew his mandate in a Territorial Election that must be
called by November 2006.
Today's Secession Support survey was conducted July 23-Aug
21 and includes 449
residents across the Yukon, yielding a margin of error of 4.7%, 19 times in 20. Of the total, only 8 persons (less than 2%)
called were Undecided on this issue, an extraordinarily low number and
indicative that folks are quite certain of their stand. This is the largest
political poll in the Yukon since the Territorial Election.
Respecting background to their first Yukon survey, please note that Freddy
Hutter of TrendLines has been active in politics since weaning on the Trudeau
leadership bid in 1968 and his Poli-Sci days at University of Waterloo where he
says socialism thrived in the early 70's. It was a time of protest marches
and an occupation of the Dean's office. Unfortunately, the reason for the
uprising is long forgotten!!
Due to his political savvy
and pulse on public opinion, he has in the past accepted invitations Outside to
join the Board of Directors of the NDP, Liberal, Reform and Reform-Ontario
Parties. That tradition continues and Hutter has been welcomed as a Director to
several Societies as well as the Conservative and Yukon Parties since his
arrival North of 60 in November.
When not in election mode,
his career has included research in the fields of global climate change and
global oil reserves, economic analysis, real estate market analysis, real estate
& business financing, web design, and as a small business coach, is a casual
instructor of Entrepreneurship for First Nations at Yukon College.
His phone canvasser and soul
mate is a former Solidarity activist, Evalina Zamana, now a proud Canadian
Citizen and a financial planner with a specialty in Registered Education Savings
Plans (RESP's). They moved to Judas Creek with their Hungarian sheep dog, a
Kuvasz named
Topaz, from
the BC's Sea-to-Sky Corridor. Hutter hails from Kitchener-Waterloo and
Woodstock while Zamana's hometown is Bialystok, Poland. The polling is ongoing
and updated results and other polls and graphs on a variety of subjects are
available at the firm's website,
www.TrendLines.ca and
Hutter may be contacted via
graphs@TrendLines.ca
for questions, comments or to contract their varied consultive services.
Copyright 2005.
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