Vancouver Island Could Become Canada's 11th Province
It's an incredibly long shot, but the possibility is still there - a new political party in Canada has vowed to do everything in its power to make Vancouver Island the 11th province of Canada.
READ ALSO: Turks And Caicos Could Become Canada’s 11th Province
The appropriately titled Vancouver Island Party (or VIP) is dedicated to removing Vancouver Island as a region of British Columbia and establishing itself as a new province of Canada as soon as possible. The party claims to be "centrist in its policies, all of which will benefit Vancouver Island and its residents first."
The VIP is currently looking for 14 competitive candidates to run for the provincial election this coming May 9th. Party leader and former Conservative MP Robin Richardson has said that they currently have some interested individuals but none who have formally signed up yet.
VIP candidates would have to go through a screening process and meet with a selection committee. If they are approved, they would have to obtain 25 signatures in their riding to meet their party's requirements, as well as another 75 signatures to meet Elections BC's requirements. Nomination selections would be conducted if there is more than one candidate in a riding, and the person with the most votes would become the official VIP candidate. If all goes well, Canadians could have another option on their ballots for the 2017 election.
The party was formed in June of last year and was influenced by a variety of factors. Richardson believes that many people are fed up with the other political parties, and that Vancouver Island has such a large population - 765,000 to be exact - that it would benefit more as its own province than as a region of British Columbia.
Other platforms the party is promoting include the subsidation of ferry travel for islanders, lower fares for vehicles, free tuition for post-secondary students with residency, and preferential hiring of graduates from Island colleges an universities.
Check out the VIP's official website here.
Follow us on Snapchat:narcitytoronto
