A Conservative MLA facing criticism for posting a map that imagines most of B.C., but not its most populated parts, as part of the "Republic of Western Canada under the protection of the United States," said he is a proud Canadian.

But David Williams, MLA for Salmon Arm-Shuswap, also acknowledged that the timing of his post could have been better and that it has distracted from his party's message.

"I don't endorse western separatism," Williams. "The fact is that we are stronger as a country...what you need is a country working together," he said. 

He made these comments during an interview with Black Press Media about a now-deleted re-post from March 30 on his personal Facebook page.  

The post itself appeared on Williams' personal Facebook page for about an hour or so before Williams removed it after he had received a call about it. "This is a warning to everybody -- make sure that if you are going to repost something, read the whole thing really thoroughly and do it when you are not busy." 

Over a map titled, "The Republic of Western Canada: A Protectorate of the United States," it imagined political unity would consist of B.C. without Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island, along with Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Yukon. 

"We must not give up on the lower mainland and Vancouver Island," Williams wrote at the time. "Confederation has not been fair to western provinces. Something needs to change."

Williams said he took it down because of the term protectorate, adding it that it undermined the message, which he was trying to send.

"I did not see the fact that it said protectorate because it was a small print," he said. Once that person had alerted him to the term, he decided to take it down. "I totally don't believe that we should be a protectorate of any country," he said. "The fact is we are an independent country." 

But Williams also used the occasion to call for western Canada to have a greater voice in Canada, especially when it comes to economics. "So we are stronger as Canadians for sure, but saying that, sometimes the economics get in the way," he said. 

The B.C. NDP seized on Williams' post this week. B.C.'s Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said the post is just "another instance of pro-Trump, pro-U.S. rhetoric from (Conservative Party of B.C. Leader) John Rustad and his team.鈥�

Speaking Wednesday (April 2) with reporters in the provincial legislature, Rustad said he did not have a comment about it. 

"Look, my perspective is really simple," he added. "We need to start thinking strong as Canadians. We need to break down our interprovincial trade barriers. We need to get our products to market. We need to be diversifying our markets." 

He added that Canada has the potential to have the highest living standards. "But we are hopelessly managed at levels of government and that is what needs to change. " 

Williams' comments appeared during a heightened sense of Canadian nationalism in response to threats by the United States to make Canada the 51st state.

When asked whether Williams did not correctly read the room, Rustad declined to comment.

"You will have to ask him about that," he said. 

Williams said he 鈥減robably misread鈥� the timing of the post.

"The fact is that probably, it was an inappropriate time to..post considering that we have a lot of Canadian nationalism right now," he said. "But we also have a federal election going on." But at the same time, many people have waited too long to voice their opinions, he added. "You got to be proactive rather than reactive," he said. 

He also acknowledged that the issue has taken his party off-topic.

"The fact is that we have been a very strong opposition and it takes us off topic a bit, but more so the timing than the opinion, right? The fact is I do believe we need a really strong voice provincially...and we need a strong regional voice. We need our voice to be heard, so that we can be an economic powerhouse in the West and it's for the benefit of Canada." 

Williams' post appeared before the Globe and Mail (April 2) published an opinion piece from former Reform Party Leader Preston Manning, in which he predicted that western Canada would secede from the rest of Canada if federal Liberal Leader Mark Carney returned as Prime Minister. 

"Voters, particularly in central and Atlantic Canada, need to recognize that a vote for the Carney Liberals is a vote for Western secession 鈥� a vote for the breakup of Canada as we know it," Manning wrote. The piece also pointed to what Manning described as the causes of western alienation that could eventually lead to the independence: the perception that previous Liberal governments have historically exploited the natural resource wealth of western Canada for eastern Canada. 

Premier David Eby Thursday (April 3) tied Williams to Manning in calling Manning's comments bizarre.

"It reflects the perspective of an MLA in our own legislature, who approvingly tweeted out a graphic showing western (Canadian) separation, that he advocated that we should become a protectorate of the United States," Eby said. 

Eby added he hopes Manning reconsiders his perspective. "I hope that (Williams) reconsiders his advocacy for us to become a protectorate of the United States," Eby added. "We are not Guam." 

The Republic of Western Canada, according to the map, would include Northern B.C., Yukon, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The origin of the map is unclear, but a search for the term leads to a closed Facebook group titled THE REPUBLIC OF WESTERN CANADA with about 26,300 members. It describes itself as a page designed for the "PROMOTION OF SEPARATION" and includes links to Facebook groups promoting the independence of B.C. among other western provinces.

The term also leads to a website titled Western Canada Republic, describing itself as a platform "dedicated to fostering discussion and debate around the creation of a modern constitution for a sovereign Western Canada."

While the origins of western alienation and separatism date back to the late 19th century, early 20th century, UBC political science lecturer Stewart Prest said it is bubbling now up because it reflects growing political division in Canada starting with the COVID pandemic.

He said the map points to the existence of a sub-set of conservatives that strongly identifies with aspects of the message of U.S. President Donald Trump. "It seems like this group is quite willing to throw around the possibility of secession, if they do not get their way democratically. When push comes to shove, when choosing between populist politics and patriotic politics, they will choose populism."

More broadly, the makers of the map assumes a level of agreement that does not exist, he said. "It's clear in poll after poll after poll, the vast majority of Canadians are proud Canadians and want no part of either a separate country or joining with some kind of super-sized Trumpian America." 

Prest also points that the section of the map showing B.C. misses the political diversity and nuance that exists within B.C. Pockets of Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island -- neither of which would be part of this western Canadian republic --  are leaning Conservatives, just as areas part of this republic currently and historically have voted for the B.C. NDP, he said.