Jake E. Hoeppner

Jake Hoeppner, a Reform Party MP for Portage—Lisgar in Manitoba, had a prolonged falling out with the party that began with his suspension from caucus in July 1999. Hoeppner was a farmer-turned-politician who clashed with the party on agricultural policy and parliamentary discipline. He continued to sit as a Reform MP despite the suspension, then sat as an Independent Reformer from September 1999, and finally as a full Independent from April 2000 when the Reform Party transitioned into the Canadian Alliance. Hoeppner represented the grassroots western farmer constituency that had been the backbone of the Reform movement.

Hoeppner did not seek re-election in the November 2000 election. His departure was part of the Reform Party's messy transition into the Canadian Alliance — a process that alienated several grassroots Reform MPs who felt the new party was abandoning the Reform movement's original populist principles in pursuit of a broader national coalition. The Canadian Alliance won the riding in 2000, suggesting Hoeppner's personal following was limited.