Leader Allen Small Headquarters Toronto, Ontario Colours Yellow | Founded 1975 (1975) Ideology Libertarianism | |
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President Mark "Wojo" Wrzesniewski | ||
The Ontario Libertarian Party (OLP; French: Parti libertarien de l'Ontario) is a minor political party in Ontario, Canada that was founded in 1975 by Bruce Evoy, Vince Miller, and others, inspired by the formation three years earlier of the US Libertarian Party. The party is guided by a Statement of Principles and the philosophical ideas of Austrian School of Economics. It is influenced by authors and thinkers like Jan Narveson and Murray Rothbard. The party's leader is Allen Small.
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It claimed, for a time, to be Ontario's fourth party, but has been surpassed in popularity by the Green Party of Ontario.
In 1980 several members of the party, unhappy with its direction and democratic structure, left and formed the Unparty. These members were Lisa Butler, former OLP chair Mary Lou Gutscher, Bill McDonald and Paul Wakfer. In 1984, under the leadership of Marc Emery and Robert Metz, the Unparty's name and nature changed: it became the Freedom Party of Ontario.
Election results
The party's most successful election was in the 2014 general election when the Liberals won. Libertarian candidates received 0.8% of the vote. Libertarian candidates came in fifth behind the Green, PC, Liberal and NDP candidates.
Because, in part, of the Harris "Common Sense Revolution" and the appearance of the Reform Party of Ontario, the party lost momentum and had trouble finding candidates in 1995, 1999 and 2003. In 1995, under the leadership of John Shadbolt, the party's total vote declined to 6,085 votes. The top candidate was Robert Ede in York Centre, with 1,792 votes (2.3%). Three other candidates – Party Chairman Jean-Serge Brisson, Vice-Chairman Kaye Sargent, and Paul Barker – topped 1.0%. 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.
The demise of the Reform Party and the replacement of Mike Harris with Ernie Eves helped the party to regain membership. Changes to the Ontario Election Act, calling for fixed election dates at four year intervals, galvanized the party to start preparing well in advance for the 2007 general election. As a result, the party fielded 25 candidates and obtained a total of 9,249 votes.
Continuing its momentum 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. Top vote getters included: David Epstein, 2.6% in York Centre; Doug McLarty, 2.1% in Scarborough-Agincourt; and Christin Milloy, 2.0% in Mississauga-Brampton South.
1977-1981 results: Bulletin (Ontario Libertarian Party), 13:2 (September 1987), 4.]
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.
The party's Executive Committee, elected at its October 2016 Annual General Meeting:
1 vacancy - http://www.libertarian.on.ca/content/party-officers
Ethics Committee
The Ethics Committee is normally composed of six members, none of whom may be a member of the Executive. Two (or more) members of the Party are elected to the Ethics Committee for a three-year term at each Convention or Annual General Meeting. (Ethics Committee members are listed in order of seniority – longest serving members first.)
Nunzio Venuto (2009), Anthony Giles (2009), George Dance (2010), Chester Brown(2010), John Shaw (2011), Sam Apelbaum (2011)