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Wesley noted the irony of anti-mask protests that run contrary to public opinion from a movement that claims to be populist.
Right-wing populism has always played a role in Alberta politics, but Saskatchewan has historically been influenced by left-wing populism, specifically four-term premier Tommy Douglas and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF).
Erika Dyck, a history professor at the University of Saskatchewan, sees a connection between the populism that is fuelling the rise of the Buffalo Party and the forces the CCF rode to power.
Dyck said despite different positions on the political spectrum, the feeling of alienation and frustration with the federal government has long historical roots, dating to the creation of Saskatchewan in 1905.
“There’s always been a simmering frustration,” Dyck said in an interview. “That, I think, is a lingering legacy of this tension: this relationship that we have with the federal government that, of course, can play out in a variety of ways.”
The Buffalo Party platform includes a section on greater control of natural resources. This feeds into a long-standing issue in both Alberta and Saskatchewan, a “chip on our shoulders” over resource development, Dyck said.
This western alienation can transcend traditional left-right ideology, she suggested.
Wesley said the future of a movement like the Buffalo Party will depend on its strategy. A change in leader and a rebrand may be needed to make further electoral gains, and often this means selecting a more establishment figure to expand appeal.
“So in a way, as soon as these parties start to be taken seriously, then they lose their populist edge, right?” he added. “And then the cycle begins again, where they become part of the establishment.”
