Consensus Ontario

Consensus Ontario was a minor political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was led by Brad Harness.[1]

Consensus Ontario
Deregistered provincial party
LeaderBrad Harness
Founded2018 (2018)
Dissolved2019 (2019)
Headquarters415 Scott Street East, Strathroy, ON N7G 3Y8[1]
IdeologyPopulism
Non-partisan consensus government
Political positionCentre
Seats in Legislature
0 / 107
Website
www.consensusontario.ca

History

Consensus Ontario was originally founded in 2016 as a think tank.[2][3] Its leader, Brad Harness, was former leader of the Reform Party of Ontario and founder of the Ontario Party of Canada, two smaller populist parties in the early 2000s. In preparation for the 2018 Ontario general election, the think tank registered as an official political party with Elections Ontario and fielded ten candidates for the election.

Platform

The party has detailed several priority issues on its website:[4]

  1. Introducing a single flat rate for electricity
  2. Reducing wait-times at health centers
  3. Building a long-term policy for rural and agricultural regions in Ontario
  4. Supporting immigration resettlement to rural areas
  5. Giving more autonomy to municipalities for planning and taxation
  6. Increased long-term care funding for seniors
  7. Overhauling the Ontario school curriculum, including the sexual education program
  8. Construction of high-speed rail in the province
  9. Turning the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway into provincial highways

Consensus Ontario's keystone policy is the removal of all political parties provincially and moving toward a non-partisan Consensus democracy.[5][6] Consensus democracy, used in the northern territorial governments of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, members of the legislature would not be bound by party discipline to choose a leader, speaker, or policy position.[7] The party also supports several other areas of democratic reform, including recall elections and referenda.[8]

The party also pays special attention to the provincial debt. One of Consensus Ontario's founding principles calls for a balanced budget.[8] The party hopes to balance the provincial budget within its first term in government, hoping to find 10% savings for taxpayers.[9]

Election results

Including party leader Harness, Consensus Ontario nominated 10 candidates for the 2018 Ontario general election. In total, the party got 2682 votes.

Election results
Riding Candidate's name Notes Votes[10] %[10] Rank[10]
Humber River—Black Creek Scott Aitchison 320 1.03 6/7
Burlington Peter Rusin 154 0.24 7/7
Perth—Wellington Paul McKendrick 320 0.68 6/8
Kitchener—Conestoga Dan Holt 212 0.49 6/6
Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock Chuck MacMillan 312 0.55 7/7
Dufferin—Caledon Stephen McKendrick 301 0.49 6/7
Sudbury Mila Chavez Wong 284 0.79 5/8
London West Brad Harness 304 0.52 6/8
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound Janice Kaikkonen 261 0.53 7/8
Nickel Belt Kevin Brault 214 0.59 7/8
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References
  1. "Registered Political Parties in Ontario". www.elections.on.ca. Elections Ontario. Archived from the original on 2018-11-26. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
  2. "Party Governance". Consensus Ontario. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  3. Hillman-Rapley, Lynda. "Strathroy man behind new political party". Sarnia Observer. Postmedia. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  4. "Our 2018 Election Platform". Consensus Ontario. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  5. Brown, Dan (19 May 2018). "Consensus Ontario wants to end party politics for good". The London Free Press. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  6. Nixon, Scott (22 March 2017). "Area publisher launches new political party". Exeter Times-Advocate. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  7. "How Consensus Government Would Work". Consensus Ontario. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  8. "Our Principles". Consensus Ontario. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  9. "Policy Discussions". Consensus Ontario. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  10. "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 December 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
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