Canadian Party for Renewal

The Canadian Party for Renewal was an unregistered political party in Canada, established in 1993. It was closely aligned with the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist).

When the Renewal Party was launched in early 1993, supporter Robert Cruise described it as "a strictly non-partisan organization without ideological bias," whose purpose was to seek "broad unity around a minimum program of changing the political process so as to empower Canadians."[1] He said that the party would give citizens control over the selection of parliamentarians, who could be recalled by the electorate if they did not act in the interest of the people. The Renewal Party also favoured direct democracy initiatives such as referendums and ballot propositions.[2]

Cruise was himself a candidate of the Marxist-Leninist Party in 1993, and he launched his campaign in partnership with two Renewal candidates from neighbouring ridings (both of whom later officially registered as Marxist-Leninists).[3] He denied that the Renewal Party was a front organization, however, and said that it was open for anyone to join. In the same period, Marxist-Leninist Party leader Hardial Bains said that his organization was the only political organization in Canada to put all of its resources at the disposal of the Renewal Party.[4]

There are conflicting reports as to the identity of the Renewal Party's leader. A Windsor Star report from September 13, 1993, lists Jeffrey Goodman as having held this position.[5] However, a more detailed report from the same newspaper later in the month indicates that Hardial Bains was the national leader of both parties.[6]

The Renewal Party used the slogan, "Accountability begins at home," for the 1993 federal election. It did not run enough candidates to be recognized as an official party by Elections Canada, and its candidates appeared on the ballot as "non-affiliated".[7] The Renewal Party appears to have been dissolved after this time, and several Renewal candidates from 1993 later ran as Marxist-Leninist Party candidates.

In Ontario, several candidates affiliated with the Marxist-Leninist Party ran for the Ontario Renewal Party in the 1995 provincial election.[8] The Marxist-Leninists also endorsed ten independent Renewal candidates in 2003.[9] The Marxist-Leninist Party is not registered provincially in Ontario.

Publications
  • Hardial Bains, A Power to Share: A Modern Definition of the Political Process and a Case for its Democratic Renewal, Ottawa: 1993.[10]
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References
  1. Robert Cruise, "Talking point: Alternate parties, alternate ideas," Windsor Star, 5 October 1993, A7.
  2. Ian Timberlake, "Marxists on Renewal party's slate," Windsor Star, 24 September 1993, A3.
  3. Ian Timberlake, "Small parties swell list of candidates," Windsor Star, 28 September 1993, A5.
  4. Ian Timberlake, "Marxists on Renewal party's slate," Windsor Star, 24 September 1993, A3.
  5. Kim Lunman, "Election 1993: More parties than ever in race," Windsor Star, 13 September 1993.
  6. Ian Timberlake, "Marxists on Renewal party's slate," Windsor Star, 24 September 1993, A3.
  7. "The campaign in brief," Vancouver Sun, 1 October 1993, A7; "Don Valley West," 22 October 1993, Toronto Star, A7. Among the Renewal Party candidates in this election were Elaine Couto and Anna Di Carlo.
  8. See Bob Rutter, "NDP incumbent forgotten as Tories attack Liberals," Kitchener-Waterloo Record, 1 June 1995, B4. This article describes the Ontario Renewal Party as "part of a coalition of smaller parties, including many leftist groups."
  9. "Vote for the Independent Candidates Who Represent the Renewal of Ontario!", TML Daily, 30 September 2003, accessed 29 August 2010. Candidates affiliated with the Marxist-Leninist Party also contested the 1999 and 2007 general elections, although it is not clear if the "Renewal" name was used on these occasions.
  10. This publication is referenced in Referendum on Mixed Member Proportional," Archived 2010-08-03 at the Wayback Machine TML Daily, 9 October 2007.
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