Nykole King
Regina Leader-Post
Protesters who gathered outside the Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan’s “51st State Discussion Fundraiser” quarrelled with some attendees as they exited the Regina German Club venue on Saturday.
The protesters, totalling almost 30 over the span of the day, took issue with the event topic and at one point shouted “No Trump, No KKK, No fascist U.S.A.,” to guests as they departed.
The right-of-centre political party described its March 1 fundraiser as a discussion on what Saskatchewan could potentially stand to lose or gain from joining the U.S. as its 51st state. The event comes after U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threats against Canada’s territorial sovereignty.
Joely BigEagle-Kequahtooway, one of the protest organizers, objected to the provincial political party using the buffalo — a symbolic animal for Indigenous peoples — while holding an event that aligns itself with Trump’s politics. She is a co-founder of the Buffalo People’s Art Institute, and wrote a letter calling on the party to rename itself.
“I’ve known about them for years, but enough is enough,” said BigEagle-Kequahtooway about the Buffalo Party. “Their ideologies, their beliefs, their bylaws, constitutions, their position papers on their website from True North, I don’t agree with those. I’m here today to be physically present today and show my support for the true ideologies of what the buffalo means to Indigenous people.”
More than 40 people comprising Buffalo Party members and non-members attended the ticketed all-day fundraiser. A mock referendum on whether to join the U.S. ended with 55 per cent in favour, though the vote does not determine actual party policy.
Leading up to the event, Buffalo Party Leader Phil Zajac had described some online messages about the theme as aggressive. In addition to hiring security and asking for a police presence at the fundraiser, he also filed reports with the Regina Police Service, Zajac told the Leader-Post in a Feb. 20 interview.
Kaitlyn Abel, a protester who called on others to join her outside the venue, said she’s been concerned with the rise of the “far right” in Saskatchewan for a while.
“I feel like they’ve just kind of been able to spread their rhetoric for far too long going unchecked,” said Abel. “When I saw they were talking about the pros and cons of becoming the 51st state, I just thought this has gone too far. They’re feeling far too emboldened.”
Some travelled from outside Regina to attend the event, as was the case for non-party member Lloyd Hauser of Grenfell (about 125 kilometres east of Regina).
“What country are we becoming where you can’t discuss ideas? And if you discuss ideas, you’re called fascist,” Hauser said while standing in front of the venue after the event finished. “What’s happening to our country? In a democracy, are we not allowed to discuss topics? Where do these people protesting get off calling me a fascist?”
Hauser said the event was necessary to discuss important topics. Some of the questions asked during the open discussion were about surgery wait times and the safety of nuclear energy.
The event’s agenda also included Tim Kasprick — a Buffalo Party candidate for Yorkton in the 2024 provincial election — who performed a comedy act as his “alter ego Timothy Trump,” who is “very pro Saskatchewan becoming the 51st State,” according to the event listing.
Lee Harding, a journalist with the Western Standard and former Saskatchewan director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, argued against separation while Lise Merle, a 2024 Regina public school board trustee candidate, spoke in favour of removing “radical gender ideology from education.”
Hired security monitored the doors for the event and walked attendees to their vehicles. The Regina Police Service was also present, stationing officers in vehicles across the parking lot.
nyking@postmedia.com
