Libertarian Party of Canada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Libertarian Party of Canada
Parti libertarien du Canada
|
|
|---|---|
| Active federal party | |
 |
|
| Leader | Jacques Boudreau |
| President | Coreen Corcoran |
| Founder | Bruce Evoy |
| Founded | 7 July 1973 |
| Headquarters | 409–207 Bank St. Ottawa, Ontario |
| Ideology | |
| International affiliation | Interlibertarians International Alliance of Libertarian Parties |
| Colors | Yellow |
| Senate |
0 / 105
|
| House of Commons |
0 / 338
|
The Libertarian Party of Canada (also known as French: Parti libertarien du Canada) is a political party that was started in 1973. This party believes in libertarianism and classical liberalism. Their main goal is to make the government smaller and less expensive. Some of their ideas include ending government rules about what people can say, lowering taxes, and protecting the right to own guns. They also believe Canada should not get involved in other countries' problems.
Contents
The Story of the Libertarian Party
How the Party Started
The Libertarian Party of Canada began on July 7, 1973. It was founded by Bruce Evoy and seven other people. Bruce Evoy became the party's first leader. He tried to get elected to Parliament in the 1974 federal election in Toronto, but he did not win.
Becoming a Registered Party
For a political party to be officially recognized in Canada, it needs to meet certain rules. The Libertarian Party became a "registered party" in the 1979 federal election. They did this by having more than 50 people run for election across Canada.
Changes Over Time
In the 1980s, the party called itself Canada's "fourth party." However, new parties like the Bloc Québécois and the Green Party of Canada later became more popular. The Libertarian Party chose not to join another new party called the Reform Party of Canada when it was formed in 1987.
Some people who supported the Libertarian Party also started supporting other parties. This happened when some provincial parties, like the Progressive Conservative parties in Ontario and Alberta, adopted similar ideas in the 1990s.
Losing Registered Status
Because fewer people joined the party and it had less money, Elections Canada removed its official registered status. This happened just before the 1997 federal election. The party lost its status because it did not have enough candidates (at least 50) running in that election.
Recent Leaders and Elections
Jean-Serge Brisson led the party from 2000 to 2008. After him, Dennis Young became the leader. Later, Katrina Chowne was elected leader in 2011. In 2014, Tim Moen became the leader of the Libertarian Party.
In the 2015 federal election, the party had 72 candidates running. They grew a lot, with over 500% more support than in the 2011 federal election. This helped them become the sixth largest federal party in Canada.
The party held a big meeting in Ottawa in July 2018. This meeting celebrated the party's 45th anniversary.
In 2018, Tim Moen suggested that the Libertarian Party might join with Maxime Bernier's new party, the People's Party of Canada. However, Maxime Bernier said he was not interested in a merger.
Election Results Overview
This table shows how the Libertarian Party of Canada has done in past federal elections. It lists the leader at the time, how many candidates ran, the total votes they received, and their share of the popular vote.
| Election | Leader | Candidates | Votes | Share of popular vote | Share in ridings contested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Alex Eaglesham |
60 / 282
|
16,042 | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| 1980 | Vacant |
58 / 282
|
14,656 | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| 1984 | Victor Levis |
72 / 282
|
23,514 | 0.2% | 0.7% |
| 1988 | Dennis Corrigan |
88 / 295
|
33,185 | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| 1993 | Hilliard Cox |
52 / 295
|
14,630 | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| 1997 | did not contest | ||||
| 2000 | |||||
| 2004 | Jean-Serge Brisson |
8 / 308
|
1,949 | nil% | 0.5% |
| 2006 |
10 / 308
|
3,002 | nil% | 0.6% | |
| 2008 | Dennis Young |
28 / 308
|
7,300 | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| 2011 |
23 / 308
|
6,017 | nil% | 0.5% | |
| 2015 | Tim Moen |
72 / 338
|
37,407 | 0.2% | 0.9% |
| 2019 |
24 / 338
|
8,281 | 0.1% | 0.6% | |
| 2021 | Jacques Boudreau |
13 / 338
|
4,765 | nil% | 0.7% |
The party also had candidates run in special elections called "by-elections":
- 1980 by-election: 1
- 1981 by-election: 1
- 1982 by-election: 1
- 1990 by-election: 2
- 1995 by-election: 1
- 2008 by-election: 1
- 2010 by-election: 1
- 2012 by-election: 3
- 2013 by-election: 3
- 2014 by-election: 2
- 2016 by-election: 1
- 2017 by-election: 4
Party Leaders
Here is a list of the people who have led the Libertarian Party of Canada over the years.
| No. | Leader | Years in office |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | M. Bruce Evoy | 1973–1974 |
| 2 | Charles "Chuck" Lyall | 1974–1976 |
| 3 | Ron Bailey | 1976–1978 |
| 4 | Alex Eaglesham | 1978–1979 |
| 5 | Linda Cain | 1980–1982 |
| 6 | Neil Reynolds | May 1982 – 1983 |
| 7 | Victor Levis | 1983–1987 |
| 8 | Dennis Corrigan | 1987–1990 |
| 9 | Stanisław Tymiński | 1990–1991 |
| 10 | George Dance | 1991–1993 |
| 11 | Hilliard Cox | May 1993 – 1995 |
| (10) | George Dance | 1995–1996 |
| 12 | Vincent Pouliot | 12 May 1996 – 5 April 1997 |
| 13 | Robert Morse | 1997–1999 |
| 14 | Jean-Serge Brisson | 1999 – 18 May 2008 |
| 15 | Dennis Young | 18 May 2008 – May 2011 |
| 16 | Katrina Chowne | May 2011 – May 2014 |
| 17 | Tim Moen | May 2014 – 2021 |
| 18 | Jacques Boudreau | 15 August 2021 – present |
See also
In Spanish: Partido Libertario (Canadá) para niños
- British Columbia Libertarian Party
- Libertarian Party of Canada candidates in the 1988 Canadian federal election
- Libertarian Party of Canada candidates in the 1993 Canadian federal election
- Libertarian Party of Canada candidates in the 2006 Canadian federal election
- Libertarian Party of Canada candidates in the 2008 Canadian federal election
- Libertarian Party of Canada candidates in the 2011 Canadian federal election
- Libertarian Party of Canada candidates in the 2015 Canadian federal election
- Libertarian Party of Manitoba
- Ontario Libertarian Party
