Natural Law Party of Canada
Natural Law Party of Canada Parti de la loi naturelle du Canada | |
|---|---|
| Former federal party | |
| Leader | Neil Paterson |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Dissolved | January 23, 2003 |
| Ideology | pro-Transcendental Meditation |
| International affiliation | Natural Law Party |
| Colours | Light blue |
The Natural Law Party of Canada (NLPC) was the Canadian branch of the international Natural Law Party founded in 1992 by a group of educators, business leaders, and lawyers who practiced Transcendental Meditation.[1]
Description and history
The magician Doug Henning was senior vice president of NLPC, and ran as the party's candidate for the former Toronto riding of Rosedale in the 1993 federal election, finishing sixth out of ten candidates.[2][3][4]
The NLPC supported federal funding for further research in the technique of yogic flying, a part of the TM-Sidhi program, as a tool for achieving world peace. The NLPC platform maintained that once it took over the government, Canada’s crime, unemployment, and deficit would disappear.[2] In a 1993 news article, Naomi Rankin, the leader of the Communist Party of Alberta, referred to the NLP as "crackpot".[5] One of its slogans was "If you favor Natural Law, Natural Law will favor you."[6] The party was de-registered by Elections Canada, the Canadian government's election agency, on January 23, 2004.[7]
Election results
| Election | # of candidates nominated | # of seats won | # of total votes | % of popular vote | % of pop vote NLP ridings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 231 | 0 | 85,450 | 0.63% | 0.77% |
| 1997 | 136 | 0 | 37,085 | 0.29% | 0.61% |
| 2000 | 69 | 0 | 16,573 | 0.13% | 0.53% |
Ontario branch
The Natural Law Party of Ontario was a political party in Ontario, Canada, the provincial affiliate of the Natural Law Party of Canada. It was established in 1993, and fielded candidates in the 1995 and 1999 provincial elections. Ashley Deans, who was a candidate for Trinity-Spadina in the 1997 and 2000 elections,[8] was the president of the party between 1993 and 2000.[9] The party leader was Ron Parker.[10]
Quebec branch
The Parti de la loi naturelle du Québec (PLNQ, in English: Natural Law Party of Quebec) was the Quebec branch of the Natural Law Party of Canada. The party was de-registered by the Directeur général des élections du Québec, the Quebec government's election agency, in 2003. Its leader from 1994 to 2003 was Allen Faguy.
Election results
| General election | # of candidates | # of elected candidates | % of popular vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 102 | 0 | 0.85% |
| 1998 | 35 | 0 | 0.13% |
See also
- Natural Law Party candidates, 2000 Canadian federal election
- Natural Law Party candidates, 1997 Canadian federal election
- Natural Law Party candidates, 1993 Canadian federal election
- Natural Law Party candidates, 1999 Ontario provincial election
- Parti de la loi naturelle du Québec
- List of political parties in Canada
Notes
- ↑ R. Roth, The Natural Law Party: A Reason to Vote, page 285. St. Martin's Press, 1998
- 1 2 Gardner, Martin, "Doug Henning and the Giggling Guru", The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry Vol 19.3 (May/June 1995)
- ↑ "'Have rabbit, will travel': Yogic flyer's Natural Law Party failed to capture the imagination", National Post (UK) (February 20, 2000)
- ↑ "Rosedale, Ontario (1933-1996)", History of Federal Ridings Since 1867
- ↑ MONCHUK, JUDY (June 6, 1993). "Fringe parties include `right, left, crackpot'". The Gazette (Montreal, Que.). p. A.6.
- ↑ GRIFFIN, KEVIN (October 18, 1993). "Henning sends out de-stress signals: The magician is here to explain the politics of yogic flying and vanishing deficits". The Vancouver Sun. p. A.5.
- ↑ Elections Canada. "Registered Political Parties and Parties Eligible for Registration". Retrieved November 22, 2010.
- ↑ Elections Canada Electoral District Results: Trinity Spadina
- ↑ Dr. Ashley Deans President, Natural Law Party of Ontario
- ↑ Daniel Drolet, "Candidates pitch parties, not themselves," Ottawa Citizen, 3 June 1995, C3; Eye Weekly, Nate Hendley, "From green dreams to family values, 'fringe' politicians party on", undated [from the 1999 Ontario provincial election], accessed 30 November 2013; Kathleen Hay, "Party aims to bring the life of the nation into harmony with natural law," Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, 2 June 1999, p. 5.