Libertarian Party of Canada


The Libertarian Party of Canada is a federal political party in Canada founded in 1973. The party subscribes to classical liberal tenets of the libertarian movement across Canada. The mission of the party is to reduce the size, scope and cost of government. Policies the party advocates for include ending drug prohibition, ending government censorship, lowering taxes, protecting gun rights and non-interventionism.

History

The party was founded on 7 July 1973 by Bruce Evoy and seven others. Evoy ran for election to Parliament in the 1974 federal election in the Toronto riding of Rosedale. The party achieved registered status in the 1979 federal election by running more than fifty candidates.
The party described itself as Canada's "fourth party" in the 1980s, but it has since been displaced by new parties such as the Bloc Québécois and the Green Party of Canada. The party declined to join the Reform Party of Canada when it was formed in 1987. Many libertarians were also attracted to provincial Progressive Conservative parties that moved to the right during the 1990s in Ontario under Mike Harris and in Alberta under Ralph Klein. The decline in the party's membership and resources resulted in Elections Canada removing their status as a registered party immediately before the 1997 federal election when the party failed to run the minimum fifty candidates needed to maintain its registration.
Jean-Serge Brisson led the party from 22 May 2000 until 18 May 2008, when he was succeeded by Dennis Young. Young defeated outgoing party president Alan Mercer for the leadership. Savannah Linklater was elected deputy leader. In May 2011, Katrina Chowne was elected leader of the Libertarian Party. In May 2014, Tim Moen was elected leader of the Libertarian Party.
In the 2015 federal election, the party fielded 72 candidates and solidified their position as the 6th federal party in Canada, with growth over 500% from the 2011 federal election.
The next Federal Libertarian Party of Canada Convention took place in Ottawa from 5 July through 7 July 2018, concluding on the 45th anniversary of the party.
On 17 September, Moen announced he was considering merging the Libertarian Party with the newly formed People's Party of Canada led by former Conservative MP Maxime Bernier. The matter is to be put to a party vote at an as yet undisclosed date.

Election results

The party also nominated a number of candidates to run in by-elections:
; Sources
Libertarian Party of Canada News. 4. 1979-2006. .

Leaders

No.LeaderYears in office
1M. Bruce Evoy1973–1974
2Charles "Chuck" Lyall1974–1976
3Ron Bailey1976–1978
4Alex Eaglesham1978–1979
5Linda Cain1980–1982
6Neil ReynoldsMay 1982 – 1983
7Victor Levis1983–1987
8Dennis Corrigan1987–1990
9Stanisław Tymiński1990–1991
10George Dance1991–1993
11Hilliard CoxMay 1993 – 1995
George Dance1995–1996
12Vincent Pouliot12 May 1996 – 5 April 1997
13Robert Morse1997–1999
14Jean-Serge Brisson1999 – 18 May 2008
15Dennis Young18 May 2008 – May 2011
16Katrina ChowneMay 2011–May 2014
17Tim MoenMay 2014–present