WIP meaning in Governmental ?

The Western Independence Party (WIP) was a Canadian political party that advocated the separation of Western Canada from Canada to form a new country from the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

The WIP ran eleven candidates in the 1988 federal election - one candidate in British Columbia, seven in Alberta, and three in Manitoba (although one of the Manitoba candidates appears to have withdrawn before election day). All the candidates were soundly defeated with none garnering even 1% of the popular vote in any riding.

The party also had provincial branches in each of the four provinces. The federal wing of the Western Independence Party fell dormant and did not run any candidates in any federal elections after 1988. The party was resurrected in April 2005 at a founding convention in Strathmore, Alberta under the new name "Western Canada Party".

The WIP should not be confused with the Confederation of Regions Party, which sought greater autonomy for western Canada, but not full independence.