Ontario Libertarian Party

Ontario Libertarian Party
Parti libertarien de l'Ontario
Active provincial party
Leader Rob Ferguson (interim)
President Gene Balfour[1]
Founded 1975 (1975)
Headquarters Toronto, Ontario
Ideology Libertarianism
Right-libertarianism
Colours Yellow
Website
www.libertarian.on.ca

The Ontario Libertarian Party (OLP; French: Parti libertarien de l'Ontario) is a libertarian political party in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of five provincial parties in Ontario running enough candidates in 2018 to govern a majority. Founded in 1975 by Bruce Evoy, Vince Miller, and others, the party was inspired by the 1972 formation of the US Libertarian Party.[2] The party is guided by a Statement of Principles and the philosophical ideas of Austrian School of Economics.[3][4] It is influenced by authors and thinkers such as Jan Narveson and Murray Rothbard. The party's leader was Allen Small, who resigned in July 2018. Deputy Leader Rob Ferguson has taken over until the expected Convention in the Spring of 2019.

In 1980 a schism occurred in the libertarian movement in Ontario, with several members of the Libertarian Party, unhappy with its direction and democratic structure, left and formed the Objectivist-influenced Unparty.[5] In 1984, under the leadership of Marc Emery and Robert Metz, the Unparty's name changed to the Freedom Party of Ontario.[6][7]

Election results

Results of the 2014 Ontario general election showing support for Libertarian candidates by riding

In 1995, under the leadership of John Shadbolt, the party's total vote declined to 6,085 votes. Shadbolt resigned one day after the 1995 election, and was replaced by George Dance on an interim basis. Sam Apelbaum was chosen as the party's full-time leader at a convention in October 1996.[8]

Changes to the Ontario Election Act, enabling fixed election dates at four-year intervals, allowed the party to prepare well in advance for the 2007 general election. As a result, the party fielded 25 candidates and obtained a total of 9,249 votes.[9]

In the 2011 General Election, the party ran 51 candidates and won a total of 19,387 votes, 0.45% of the popular vote. This was more than double the number of candidates and votes received in the 2007 general election.[10]

The party's most successful election was in the 2014 general election, with Libertarian candidates receiving 0.81% of the vote.[11]

Election year # of
overall votes		 % of
overall total		 # of
candidates run		 # of
seats won		 +/– Government
1975 4,752 17
0 / 125
 New Party Extra-parliamentary
1977 9,961 31
0 / 125
 0 Extra-parliamentary
1981 7,087 12
0 / 125
 0 Extra-parliamentary
1985 12,831 0.4% 17
0 / 125
 0 Extra-parliamentary
1987 13,514 0.36% 25
0 / 130
 0 Extra-parliamentary
1990 24,613 0.61% 45
0 / 130
 0 Extra-parliamentary
1995 6,085 0.15% 7
0 / 130
 0 Extra-parliamentary
1999 2,337 0.05% 7
0 / 103
 0 Extra-parliamentary
2003 1,991 0.04% 5
0 / 103
 0 Extra-parliamentary
2007 9,249 0.21% 25
0 / 107
 0 Extra-parliamentary
2011 19,447 0.45% 51
0 / 107
 0 Extra-parliamentary
2014 37,696 0.81% 74
0 / 107
 0 Extra-parliamentary
2018 42,918 0.75% 117
0 / 124
 0 Extra-parliamentary

Executive committee

Conventions are held every three years to elect the Leader, Deputy Leader, Chairman, Vice Chair, Secretary, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and Campaign Director for a three-year term. All of these positions, except Leader and Deputy Leader, may be replaced by election at a General Meeting. Members-at-Large are elected for a one-year term at a Convention or Annual General Meeting.[12]

The party's Executive Committee, elected at its November 2017 Convention in Markham, includes:

  • Leader – Rob Ferguson
  • Deputy Leader – vacant
  • Chair – Mark Snow
  • Vice-Chair – Mark "Wojo" Wrzesniewski
  • Secretary – Chris Swift
  • Recording Secretary – John White
  • Treasurer – G.J. Hagenaars
  • Campaign Director – Scott Marshall
  • Members at Large – Matt Dougherty, Sabile Trimm[13]

Party leaders

  • Terry Coughlin (elected at founding meeting, July 24, 1975)
  • Paul Mollon (1977 election)
  • Scott Bell (1981 and 1985 elections)
  • Kaye Sargent (1987 election)
  • James Stock (1990 election)
  • John Shadbolt (? – June 9, 1995)
  • George Dance (interim) (June 9, 1995 – October 1996)
  • Sam Apelbaum (October 1996 – November 5, 2011)
  • Allen Small (November 5, 2011 – July 20, 2018
  • Rob Ferguson July 21 2018 - Present

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Party Officers: Ontario Libertarian Party". Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  2. ↑ Miller, Vince. "Taking Liberty Global Archived 2008-07-02 at the Wayback Machine.", August 4, 2005. Retrieved on December 25, 2007.
  3. ↑ "Statement of Principles". Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Think like a libertarian in 30 days or less!". Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  5. ↑ MacIntyre, Hugh (6 October 2011). "How libertarians should vote in today's provincial election". National Post. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  6. ↑ McKeever, Paul (17 September 2010). "Marc Emery, Civil Disobedience, and the Fate of the Cannabis Culture". Cannabis Culture. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Hudson, Andrew (12 June 2011). "Two libertarians running in Beaches East-York". Cannabis Culture. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Bulletin 18:1 Spring 1997
  9. ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast" (PDF). Elections Canada. October 21, 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 1, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  10. ↑ McLarty, Jeffrey (2011). "Candidates, Vote Tally Doubled over 2007". libertarian.on.ca. Archived from the original on June 1, 2017.
  11. ↑ "The 1995 Provincial Election". libertarian.on.ca. 1995. Archived from the original on June 1, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  12. ↑ http://www.libertarian.on.ca/content/party-officers
  13. ↑ http://www.libertarian.on.ca/content/party-officers
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