Article content

The Buffalo Declaration, a manifesto written and signed by four Conservative members of Parliament from Alberta, declares a path forward for the province within the confederation of Canada and outlines ways to soothe Alberta’s alienation from the rest of the country.

But what is it? What does it do? And why the name “Buffalo?”

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or What is the Buffalo Declaration and why did they call it 'Buffalo'? Back to video

Let’s start with the name.

Back in the early 1900s, Sir Frederick Haultain, the first premier of the Northwest Territories, had an idea for a new Canadian province comprised of what would become Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Its name, he suggested, would be “Buffalo.” This was rejected by the Liberals under Wilfrid Laurier, who weren’t keen on the suggestion coming from someone identified with the Conservative party.

The symbol has lingered on as a mark of Ottawa not taking the west’s concerns seriously.

What is in the manifesto?

The 13-page, nearly 6,000 word document outlines the history of western alienation, what the authors identify as the root causes and issues with Confederation, and makes several recommendations on how to improve relations with the west.