Donovan Cavers. (via YouTube)

A Kamloops city councillor is facing backlash this week ­­after he tweeted that B.C. should separate from Canada into “Cascadia” and suggested that the prime minister needs to take his head out of his backside.

“Morneau go for it. Cancel equalization payments to #BC. I dare you,” Coun. Donovan Cavers wrote on the social media platform Wednesday. “Hey #Cascadia! Looking pretty fit these days. @JustinTrudeau Pull. Your. Head. Out. Of. Your. Montreal. B…”

Cavers tells KamloopsMatters he was responding to something he heard Finance Minister Bill Morneau say on CBC, that the feds would cut B.C. off from equalization payments in response to the province’s stance on the Trans Mountain expansion project.

Morneau go for it. Cancel equalization payments to #BC. I dare you... Hey #Cascadia! looking pretty fit these days. : )@JustinTrudeau Pull. Your. Head. Out. Of. Your. Montréal. B...#Canada#UnitedStates#Cascadia *draft bioregional map including some portions of the "U"S pic.twitter.com/iwblHn4twj — Donovan Cavers (@DonovanCavers) April 11, 2018

Each year, the feds give money to the less wealthy provinces. B.C. has not received an equalization payment since 2009. However, it has received money through the Canada Health Transfer and the Canada Social Transfer programs.

“My response was if they’re going to try everything they can to try to push this pipeline project through British Columbia, which is not in British Columbia’s best interest, then we’re going to pull out all the stops, too,” says Cavers, who has sat on council since 2011 and is gunning for another term this year.

Kinder Morgan Canada announced last week it’s putting the Trans Mountain pipeline on hold until it consults with its stakeholders. The company has given itself a May 31 deadline for a path forward. At this time, it’s unknown what the federal government’s next move is to settle the matter.

Cavers' tweet sparked a response former Kamloops mayor and Liberal MLA Terry Lake, who said on the social media platform, “This is insulting to every Canadian who has fought for our country. It is also disgracefully disrespectful of our parliamentary democracy.”

This is insulting to every Canadian who has fought for our country. It is also disgracefully disrespectful of our parliamentary democracy. — Terry Lake (@TerryLake16) April 11, 2018

Lianne Milobar, wife of Kamloops-North Thompson MLA and former mayor Peter Milobar, also chimed in, telling Cavers to “grow up."

Public disrespect by @cityofkamloops councillor @DonovanCavers to our Prime Minister is disgraceful. #kamloops deserves better representation. Grow up. At 32+ you’re long past playing the new young councillor card & should behave appropriately, no matter how passionate you are. — LianneMilobar (@LianneMilobar) April 11, 2018

“At 32+ you’re long past playing the new young councillor card & should behave appropriately, no matter how passionate you are.”

But Cavers didn’t waver in his replies, suggesting to #AgreetoDisagree.

As for how serious he is about B.C. actually splitting apart from the rest of the country?

“If you look at the history of Quebec – and that was the reason I mentioned Montreal – they haven’t separated, but even the idea of separation has gained them a lot of traction on a variety of issues; it’s protected their language and their culture, arguably. And I think the same goes for British Columbia. The natural world is much more important to British Columbians and their lifestyle … than it is to other parts of the country.”

For the full interview, see below.