Consensus Ontario

Consensus Ontario
Active provincial party
Leader Brad Harness
Founded 2018 (2018)
Headquarters 415 Scott Street East, Strathroy, ON N7G 3Y8[1]
Ideology Populism
Centrism
non-partisan consensus government
Political position Centre
Seats in Legislature
0 / 107
Website
www.consensusontario.ca

Consensus Ontario is a minor political party in Ontario, Canada. The party is led by Brad Harness.[1]

History

Consensus Ontario was originally founded in 2016 as a think tank.[2][3] Its leader, Brad Harness, was former leader of the Reform Party of Ontario and founder of the Ontario Party of Canada, two smaller populist parties in the early 2000s. In preparation for the 2018 Ontario general election, the think tank registered as an official political party with Elections Ontario and fielded ten candidates for the election.

Platform

The party has detailed several priority issues on its website:[4]

  1. Introducing a single flat rate for electricity
  2. Reducing wait-times at health centers
  3. Building a long-term policy for rural and agricultural regions in Ontario
  4. Supporting immigration resettlement to rural areas
  5. Giving more autonomy to municipalities for planning and taxation
  6. Increased long-term care funding for seniors
  7. Overhauling the Ontario school curriculum, including the sexual education program
  8. Construction of high-speed rail in the province
  9. Turning the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway into provincial highways

Consensus Ontario's keystone policy is the removal of all political parties provincially and moving toward a non-partisan Consensus democracy.[5][6] Consensus democracy, used in the northern territorial governments of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, members of the legislature would not be bound by party discipline to choose a leader, speaker, or policy position.[7] The party also supports several other areas of democratic reform, including recall elections and referenda.[8]

The party also pays special attention to the provincial debt. One of Consensus Ontario's founding principles calls for a balanced budget.[8] The party hopes to balance the provincial budget within its first term in government, hoping to find 10% savings for taxpayers.[9]

Election results

Including party leader Harness, Consensus Ontario nominated 10 candidates for the 2018 Ontario general election.

Riding Candidate's Name Notes Votes % Rank
Humber River—Black Creek Scott Aitchison
Burlington Peter Rusin
Perth—Wellington Paul McKendrick
Kitchener—Conestoga Dan Holt
Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock Chuck MacMillan
Dufferin—Caledon Stephen McKendrick
Sudbury Mila Chavez Wong
London West Brad Harness
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound Janice Kaikkonen
Nickel Belt Kevin Brault

References

  1. 1 2 "Registered Political Parties in Ontario". www.elections.on.ca. Elections Ontario.
  2. ↑ "Party Governance". Consensus Ontario. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  3. ↑ Hillman-Rapley, Lynda. "Strathroy man behind new political party". Sarnia Observer. Postmedia. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "Our 2018 Election Platform". Consensus Ontario. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Brown, Dan (19 May 2018). "Consensus Ontario wants to end party politics for good". The London Free Press. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  6. ↑ Nixon, Scott (22 March 2017). "Area publisher launches new political party". Exeter Times-Advocate. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  7. ↑ "How Consensus Government Would Work". Consensus Ontario. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Our Principles". Consensus Ontario. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  9. ↑ "Policy Discussions". Consensus Ontario. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.