The Canadians′ Choice Party (CCP) is a minor political party based in Ontario, Canada. The party is led by Bahman Yazdanfar.[2]
Canadians' Choice Party | |
|---|---|
| Active provincial party | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | CCP |
| Leader | Bahman Yazdanfar |
| President | Bahman Yazdanfar[1] |
| Founded | August 26, 2011 |
| Headquarters | 1-927 Danforth Ave, Toronto ON M4J 1L8[2] |
| Ideology | Direct democracy |
| Seats in Legislature | 0 / 107
|
| Website | |
| canadianschoice | |
History
editThe Canadians' Choice Party was founded on August 26, 2011 by Bahman Yazdanfar of Toronto.[3] Yazdanfar, who immigrated to Canada from Iran in 1986, ran a small consulting firm for businesses until 2008, when the global economic recession caused him to close.[4] After the failure of his business, Yazdanfar began a talk show on YouTube which interviewed subjects ranging from mainstream local figures to political extremists.[4]
In 2015, in response to public outcry over Your Ward News, a local newspaper delivered to households in The Beaches that was banned by Canada Post for carrying anti-Semitic and racist content, Yazdanfar supported the publication, buying advertising in it and decrying the Ontario government's laying of criminal charges against the publication's publisher and editor for hate speech.[3]
The party failed to win any seats in the 2022 Ontario general election.
Platform
editThe party bills itself as a "party of independents" and offers very few barriers for entry.[5] To run as a candidate for the party, a candidate has to:
- Show responsibility first to the riding they represent when they become MPP.
- Show commitment to stay in the Canadians' Choice Party for the entire mandate once elected.
- Not cross the floor.[6]
On its website, the party supports four priorities:[6]
- Fiscal responsibility and respect for taxpayers,
- Individual freedom and the right to free speech,
- Sovereignty and protection of common-law rights,
- Transparency and accountability in government.
It also calls for the ability to recall elected officials and calls for more referendums.[6]
Controversy and associations with Neo-Nazism
editThe party's position on unfettered free speech has caused controversy in the 2018 provincial election when several of its candidates were found to be associated with the neo-Nazi movement in Canada. James Sears, who ran in the riding of Ottawa Centre, is the editor of the far-right newspaper, Your Ward News, and claims to be an adherent of Nazism.[7][8] Another of the party's notable candidates is Paul Fromm, a prominent Canadian white supremacist, who ran in Etobicoke Centre.
Electoral results
editIn the 2011 Ontario general election, the Canadians' Choice Party nominated three candidates for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:
| Riding | Candidate's Name | Notes | Votes | % | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Centre | Bahman Yazdanfar | Party Leader | 19 | 0.04% | 10/10 |
| St. Catharines | Jon Radick | 62 | 0.14% | 7/8 | |
| Toronto—Danforth | John Richardson | 75 | 0.2% | 9/9 |
In the 2014 election, Yazdanfar and Richardson ran again, this time joined by Dorian Baxter, perennial candidate for the Progressive Canadian Party.
| Riding | Candidate's Name | Notes | Votes | % | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Centre | Bahman Yazdanfar | Party Leader | 78 | 0.15% | 11/11 |
| Scarborough—Guildwood | John Sawdon | 120 | 0.34% | 7/7 | |
| Newmarket—Aurora | Dorian Baxter | 922 | 1.76% | 5/7 | |
| Toronto—Danforth | John Richardson | 167 | 0.4% | 7/10 |
In the 2018 election, the party ran five candidates:
| Riding | Candidate's Name | Notes | Votes | % | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaches—East York | Bahman Yazdanfar | Party Leader | 74 | 0.14% | 9/11 |
| Barrie—Innisfil | Jake Tucker | 184 | 0.42% | 6/8 | |
| Brantford—Brant | Leslie Bory | 253 | 0.44% | 8/9 | |
| Etobicoke Centre | Paul Fromm | 631 | 1.10% | 5/7 | |
| Ottawa Centre | James Sears | 92 | 0.14% | 8/8 |
References
edit- ^ "Registered Political Parties". Elections Ontario. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Registered Political Parties in Ontario". Archived from the original on 2018-11-26. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- ^ a b "Submit your nomination, before fundraising, and accepting donations". www.canadianschoice.ca. Archived from the original on 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
- ^ a b "Bahman Yazdanfar". www.canadianschoice.ca. Archived from the original on 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
- ^ "Fringe parties add spice to Ontario election despite no hope of seats". CityNews Toronto. 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
- ^ a b c "Get voters throughout your riding, and persuade them to vote for you". www.canadianschoice.ca. Archived from the original on 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
- ^ Delamont, Kieran (2018-05-17). "Ottawa Centre candidates set to square off at community debate". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
- ^ Crawford, Blair (2018-05-10). "Hate crime charge hangs over Ottawa Centre candidate". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2018-05-21.