“The reason for being independent is a simple one. It is fundamentally better for all of us if decisions about Cascadia’s future are taken by the people who care most about Cascadia – that is by the people of Cascadia. It is the people who live here who will do the best job of making our nation a fairer, greener and more successful place.”
Aside from a bioregion and growing social and cultural movement, Cascadia is host to one of the largest independence movements in North America.
Cascadia has been listed as #7 on Time Magazine’s top 10 most likely to succeed (at seceding) independence movements (along with Tibet, Quebec, Scotland and Catalonia), Vice Magazine’s personal favorite independence movement, and has been mentioned in the NYtimes, CNN, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the Portland Monthly, the Seattle Times, the Seattle Sinner, Stranger and Weekly, the Portland Mercury, Good Magazine, the Oregonian and many others.
There are several reasons why the Cascadia movement aims to foster connections and a sense of place within the Northwest region and strive towards independence. These include:
Bioregionalism and sustainability
Local autonomy and self-sufficiency
Increased regional integration
Local food networks, resilience and economies.
Decolonizing borders and Indigenous sovereignties
A dedication to open source, dynamic and associative governing models
While some advocate for a political party, it’s much more common to hear for a push for an eventual initiative, to be approved by a democratic majority in each state, as well as surrounding counties.
According to a Zogby Poll in 2018, support for independence currently sits at 39% in the United States, with 68% of people being open to the idea of a states right to peacefully secede. These numbers are by Democrats (41%) and Black Americans (47%) replacing the previous current highest block of Latinos (51% in 2017), and followed by Republicans (39%).
In Canada, a much younger country with only 30 million residents in which independence does not bear the same stigma and an active Quebec and Indigenous Sovereignty movement, support for the idea of independence ranges in British Columbia sits around 42% in British Columbia and continues to grow with strong feelings of western alienation. British Columbia and Washington continue to share close ties, with more than
In British Columbia, the only place where research specifically on independence and Cascadia has been conducted, a 2020 poll by Glacier Media and Research Co. has shown a signifigant growth of support for Cascadia and an British Columbia as a standalone independent country. As a standalone country, support has gone up to 27% from 17% in 2018 and 2019) and shockingly, support for joining together with Washington and Oregon as Cascadia sits at
The biggest surprise in this year’s survey by Research Co. and Glacier Media is the significant growth in the proportion of residents who think British Columbia would be better off as its own country (27%, up from just 17% in polls conducted in 2019 and 2018).
British Columbians (58%) continue to believe that we have more in common with the people of Seattle and Portland than with those in Toronto or Montreal. The bulk of Cascadia dreamers are aged 18 to 34 (66%), but also include 60% of those aged 35 to 54 and 48% of those aged 55 and over.
British Columbians aged 18 to 34 are more likely to feel that the province could be independent (37%) than those aged 35 to 54 (28%) and those aged 55 and over (18%). This does not mean that we are giving credence to the so-called “wexit” movement. The secessionist federal party attracted the attention of only 15% of British Columbians when we asked in March. This year’s shift outlines the realization that, on the pandemic front, British Columbia has done a remarkable job.
A consistent finding over the past few years is related to Cascadia. We have seen how British Columbians value the special relationship we keep with Washington State and Oregon, whose residents we perceive as different than Americans from other states.
Among Canadians polled in a recent Research Co. survey, positive perceptions of the United States fell to a drastically low level (32%). In British Columbia, the needle dropped even lower (26%). Part of this decline is indubitably related to the personality of the current occupant of the White House. However, the favourability numbers plummeted as Canadians analyzed how our neighbouring nation has attempted to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most British Columbians are dismayed when thinking of the United States, but our links to Cascadia have not suffered– even if journeys to watch the Mariners or taste craft beers have all but disappeared. Almost three in five
This does not mean that baby boomers are fine with B.C. being “just another province.” While 64% of all British Columbians think our views are different from the rest of the country, the proportion jumps to 72% among those aged 55 and over.
Four in five British Columbians (81%) are very proud of the province, and three in four (74%) think they will stay here for the rest of their lives. There is still some angst about the future among B.C.’s youngest adults, with 31% thinking they may not be able to grow old here. Concerns about housing among members of this demographic – which have remained high during the pandemic – are clearly still prevalent.
This year, 25% of respondents to the survey say they consider themselves “British Columbians first, and Canadians second.” This represents a six-point increase in a year, and, while still lower than the 63% of respondents who place country above province, shows an unexpected bond. Our province’s youngest and oldest adults feel roughly the same way (27% for those aged 18 to 34 and 28% for those aged 55 and over) about the province.
with the Central/Great Lakes region picking up the pace and seeing an increase in support for secession from 25% to 41%.
In the final analysis, while significant changes shifted within a few key subgroups though results remained exactly the same in both 2017 and 2018, overall support for secession remains only 12 points from a majority.
The study was released by Angus Reid which is conducting a four part study on Western Canadian identity, and surveyed 4,024 Canadians in late December and early January. It showed that 54 percent of British Columbians felt they had the most in common with Washington state, 18 percent picked California while just 15 per cent chose Alberta, 9% percent chose Ontaria, and less than 3% chose Manitoba, Saskatchewan or another Canadian area.
This connection, while not new, has steadily continued to grow (In 1991, fully half of B.C. respondents told the Angus Reid Group they had the most in common with Washington) and more telling, in 1991 there was a much greater degree of mutual recognition between British Columbia and Alberta, and other parts of Canada.
At that time fully one-in-three Albertans in that survey said they had the most in common with B.C., more than chose any other province. Similarly, today, only 7 per cent of Albertans think their province has the most in common with B.C. These differences in perceived closeness across the west reflect that while Western Canadians perceive their region as unique and distinct from the rest of Canada, they also hold nuanced views about the region’s component provinces. In particular, the study finds a growing rift between Alberta and British Columbia on many issues. On an individual level, Western Canadians tend not to think of themselves by that name. Tellingly, residents of Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia are more likely to think of themselves Albertans, Saskatchewanians and British Columbians, respectively, than Canadians.
Not Represented by the Federal Government
A key component of how the west perceives its role in Canada is whether or not it feels represented by national institutions. The federal government receives its poorest scores in the West, with just one-quarter of British Columbians (25%), and fewer than one-in-five Albertans (15%) and Saskatchewanians (17%) saying they feel well represented.
Much like their southern Cascadian and Californian counterparts, asked whether the federal government’s treatment of the west has improved or worsened over the last few years, those westerners who believe the treatment has been unfair tend to see it worsening:
Given that they feel they’re receiving poor treatment from the federal government, it’s interesting to note how British Columbians and other western provinces would like to their local governments to best proceed in representing their interests.
Rather than less of a schism, only 7 percent want their province to take “a soft approach” that aims to avoid conflict. The vast majority are split between favoring “a firmer approach” that doesn’t shy away from disagreement (46%) and “a tough approach” that would see their provincial government “do what it takes” to defend regional interests (47%).
As measured only by the combination of present B.C., Washington, and Oregon statistics, Cascadia would be home to slightly more than 15 million people (15,105,870), and would have an economy generating more than $750 billion worth of goods and services annually, placing Cascadia in the worlds 20 largest economies. This number would roughly double if portions of Northern California, Idaho, and Southern Alaska were also included to $1.5 trillion, or the economic output of India or Canada.
Cascadia's largest city Seattle has an economy slightly smaller than Thailand, but larger than Colombia and Venezuela. The region also has one of the fastest growing clean energy sectors in the world, and already exports electricity based from renewable resources to surrounding states and provinces.
The Cascadian Independence Project remains the largest organization currently promoting the idea of an independent Cascadia. Active since 2006, the majority of organizing is done through online platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter, embracing a non-traditional, non-hierarchical, horizontal organizing model.
Does that reasoning make sense to you? It’s the central rationale of the Yes Campaign, the buildup for Scotland’s 2014 independence referendum. And it’s brilliant. And it’s working. In the first six days of the campaign, which launched in May, 15,000 people signed on. Tens of thousands more have signed on since. A potential Scottish government polls at 53% higher in terms of popular trust than the current British one. The campaign is emerging as one of the largest and most impactful grassroots efforts in Scottish history; hundreds of events are being held around Scotland, at levels from the neighborhood to the small town to the city, and a large convergence is planned in Edinburgh for the 22nd of September.
As Cascadians, engaged in building awareness of a culture which holds a position relative to the United States similar in some ways to that of Scotland to Great Britain, we can learn three key things from the way in which this campaign is being conducted.
First: The Scots are presenting an argument that they can do things well, rather than that the current system is doing things poorly. By saying “it is better for all of us” to succeed with this campaign, the conversation immediately becomes one about the benefits of the campaign’s goal, rather than the drawbacks of the current system.
This gives the volunteers who are building the campaign around the country, the people who – like many Cascadians – are sharing their message one stranger, acquaintance, friend, or family member at a time, the chance to talk about a bright future, the chance to talk about success. The chance to talk about skills, contexts, and possibilities with which they and their audience are familiar – since those skills, contexts, and possibilities are their own. The chance to be happy, to talk joyously about what is being created, rather than angrily about what needs to be torn down.
Second: The Scots are making the emphasis of their campaign about their right to self-determination, rather than about their lack of self-determination.
This has the effect of immediately setting the context for all debate as one of a moral good rather than an injustice – “everyone deserves” rather than “we don’t have.” By building on the right to self-determination, the argument is founded in universal human values rather than an atmosphere of grievance; though the grievance is valid, the broadening of the frame from the specific case to the universal value strengthens the argument, drawing on evidence that is more basic and that resonates more deeply for people both inside and outside the Yes Campaign.
Third: The Scots are making an argument about themselves, rather than an argument about Britain.
Look back at that first paragraph. Scotland is mentioned three times in the second sentence; the people of Scotland are mentioned three times. Crucially, the speaker uses language – “all of us” – that places him or her among those about whom the declaration is speaking. By using this framing, by talking about themselves, the Yes Campaign supporters accomplish two things. They’re immediately put into a position of expertise, and so are the members of their audience – a tremendously democratizing move that shifts the subject of necessary knowledge from the impersonal to the personal, broadening the base of those who can reasonably speak to every Scottish person – and they’re directly including their audience in the speaking of the declaration.
Effectively, through the presentation of this argument as one about all of Scotland, every Scot is already included. This is tremendously powerful.
What all of these things have in common is summed up in the name of the campaign: Yes. Every aspect of the declaration and campaign is a positive one, and quite deliberately so. By talking about the wonderful aspects and potential of a place and a people that they love, the Scots engaged in the Yes Campaign can shape the debate around their referendum, building popular support for their goal – and, as importantly, building a culture which is in favor, consciously, of the idea of Scotland.
As Cascadians, as people trying to speak about and raise awareness of our own culture, we can make use of this same positioning – and we should. Because, in the end, we’re arguing for Cascadia, for a thing that we love – and the first step of that is arguing for, rather than against.
By adopting a politics of yes, we can spread Cascadia in its most potent form, building a love of place and awakening people to the unique culture that is already springing up throughout our bioregion.
One of the core tenets of the Cascadia movement is the independence and interdependence of the Cascadia bioregion. We increase the autonomy of our region on a political, social and economic level locally, and work to better fit into a global supply chain in a manner that is responsible, sustainable and ethical. Cascadians have a shared affinity with those living here that stems from this place we live, a ruggedly independent spirit, and a belief in equality and equity. Cascadians are the best suited to speak for our interests and needs, rather than those currently doing so thousands of miles away, with little vested interest in our region or livelihood. We will continue to build a movement for a society and world that is more liveable, ethical, responsible and just, not just for this generation, but for the generations to come.
Cascadia works for an independent Cascadia Bioregion. It is up to all of us living here
Stretching along more than 2500 miles of Pacific coastline, Cascadia extends for as far as the Salmon swim – from the glacial cold Copper River Watershed in South East Alaska to Cape Mendecino in the South and the Yellowstone Caldera in the East. Cascadia is the name for the bioregion of the Columbia, Fraser and Snake River valleys, and includes all of British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington as well as parts of Northern California, Nevada, Montana, Southern Alaska, Wyoming. Bioregion is short for ‘bio-cultural region’ and are geographically based areas defined by a physical traits; land or soil composition, watershed, climate, flora, and fauna; as well as the cultural traits of the inhabitants that live within them, and act upon them.
Cascadia has an economy that ranks 9th in the world, the highest GDP per capita and living standards for any country not dependent fossil fuels or serving as a tax haven. some of the most literate, creative and innovative citizens, 7/10 largest carbon storing forests in the world, energy independence and self-suffiency based on renewable resources, and are a unique position in the world to fully realize a better livelihood for those living here.
