Wikipedia

Canadian Nationalist Party (2017)

(Redirected from Travis Patron)
For other uses, see Canadian Nationalist Party (disambiguation).

The Canadian Nationalist Party (French: Parti Nationaliste Canadien) was a far-right, white nationalist political party in Canada. It was registered with Elections Canada from 2019 to 2022.

Canadian Nationalist Party
Parti Nationaliste Canadien
Former federal political party
Abbreviation
  • CNP (English)
  • PNC (French)
FounderTravis Patron
FoundedJune 1, 2017 (2017-06-01)
DissolvedMarch 31, 2022 (2022-03-31)
HeadquartersRedvers, Saskatchewan
NewspaperThe Red Ensign
Ideology
Political positionFar-right
ReligionChristianity
Colours  Ensign red
  White
Party flag
The "ensign" of the Canadian Nationalist Party, in practice its second party flag. It is a white (top) and black (bottom) bicolour charged with a red cross within a red circle in the centre.
The first flag of the Canadian Nationalist Party. It is a red (top) and black (bottom) bicolour charged with a white Templar cross in the centre.
Website
cnp-nationalist.ca

History

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The Canadian Nationalist Party (CNP) was founded on June 1, 2017,[1] by Travis Patron.[2]

On August 9, 2017, coinciding with the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia,[3] the CNP organized the Toronto Nationalist Rally at the University of Toronto's St. George campus. The event's Facebook page described the rally as an opportunity to "discuss the nationalist movement in Canada,"[4] and to protest Canada's immigration policy.[5] A counter-protest was organized in response to the rally,[5] and the University of Toronto denied the party the opportunity to organize on campus grounds.[6][7]

In November 2017, party leader Travis Patron announced his intent to officially register the CNP as a federal political party and field candidates for the 2019 federal election. On November 26, Patron started a cross-country tour in Toronto.[8] During the tour, the party's meeting at the Belgian Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was cancelled following protests. The club's treasurer subsequently resigned,[9] and the organization voluntarily withdrew from Folklorama, the city's multicultural festival.[10] In early September 2018, Patron reached out to People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier "to see if there would be any interest in possibly co-operating with the Canadian Nationalist Party."[11] Bernier declined any further discussions with Patron.[12]

In June 2019, CNP members were among several far-right groups protesting against Pride parades alongside Yellow Vest demonstrators in Hamilton, Ontario,[13][14][15] and Pegida in downtown Toronto.[16] Both protests resulted in violence against counter-protesters,[17] with the latter demonstration resulting in a violent altercation between anti-fascist counter-protesters inside the Eaton Centre. The RCMP launched a hate crime investigation against Patron after Ottawa-based human rights lawyer Richard Warman filed a formal criminal complaint about a video Patron uploaded to YouTube warning of a "parasitic tribe" controlling Canadian institutions and calling for their permanent removal from Canada.[14] During the investigation, the RCMP pursued intellectual property violations against the CNP for using RCMP trademarks without permission.[18] On August 23, 2019, the party lost their registered virtual office location in the Toronto Star Building after Telsec revoked their services.[19]

Elections Canada informed the CNP on August 29, 2019, that it was eligible for registration as a federal political party.[20][21] The CNP was subsequently registered two weeks later on September 15.[22][23]

Patron ran under the party banner during the 2019 federal election in Souris—Moose Mountain, the electoral district containing his hometown of Redvers[24] in Saskatchewan.[25] The party also fielded candidates in Lac-Saint-Louis and Scarborough-Guildwood. The party did not win any seats and finished last out of 21 parties, garnering only 281 votes.

Shortly after the 2019 election, Patron was charged with aggravated assault, assault causing bodily harm and breach of probation, after attacking two women in Regina, Saskatchewan,[26] who were sent to hospital for their injuries.[27] On August 23, 2022, Patron was sentenced concurrently to 18-months in jail for two counts of assault causing bodily harm; however, because Patron received time served credit for the amount of time he spent in custody, the sentence was considered served.[28]

A complaint was filed with the RCMP against Patron by the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center on July 15, 2020.[29] In their complaint they claim that a post on the party's Facebook page constitutes hate speech.[29] The RCMP had investigated the party in 2019 for a similar claim.[30] Patron was arrested by the RCMP and charged with wilful promotion of hate on February 17, 2021, in connection to the complaint.[31][32][33][34] On October 20, 2022, Patron was sentenced to one year in jail for willfully promoting hatred against Jewish people and ordered to refrain from posting about them for a year after the sentence ends.[35]

Gus Stefanis assumed leadership of the party on August 27, 2021.[36]

The CNP was deregistered by Elections Canada on March 31, 2022, due to its failure to maintain an active party membership of at least 250.[37]

Ideology and policies

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The CNP has been described as far-right,[11][14][16][20] white nationalist,[6][8][19] and right-wing populist.[38] Its stated purpose is "to improve the social and economic conditions of an ethnocentric Canada"[39] by maintaining the demographic majority status of European Canadians.[20][40] The party proposes discontinuing public funding for pride parades,[41] restricting abortion access, establishing a mandatory national curriculum based on "European and Christian values", and repealing the Canadian Multiculturalism Act.[42]

Election results

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Year Leader Seats +/− Votes % Rank Outcome
2019 Travis Patron
0 / 338
   281 0.00% 21st No seats
2021 Gus Stefanis
0 / 338
   52 0.00%   22nd No seats

References

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  1. ^ "About – Canadian Nationalist Party". Canadian Nationalist Party. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  2. ^ "Patron – Canadian Nationalist Party". Canadian Nationalist Party. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  3. ^ Miller, Adam (August 14, 2017). "University of Toronto denies 'Nationalist Rally' will take place on campus". Global News. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019. On Saturday, a car plowed through a group of people in Charlottesville, Va., as they were protesting a white supremacist rally.
  4. ^ "Organizers of nationalist rally haven't booked space, University of Toronto says". CTV News. The Canadian Press. August 14, 2017. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019. According to the event page, the rally is intended to discuss "the nationalist movement in Canada."
  5. ^ a b "Thousands promise to come out and protest against Canadian Nationalist Party rally". CBC News. August 15, 2017. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2019. Travis Patron said the rally would be a peaceful protest against the openness of the country's current immigration policy.
  6. ^ a b "University of Toronto bars white nationalist group from holding rally". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  7. ^ "U of T will not permit use of campus for Toronto Nationalist Rally". utoronto.ca. University of Toronto. August 17, 2017. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Ling, Justin (November 29, 2017). "This Guy Is Trying To Lead The White Nationalist Movement In Canada". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019. A new political party is hoping to officially register itself and field candidates in the next Canadian federal election ... Patron began his cross-country tour in Toronto on Sunday.
  9. ^ Malone, Kelly Geraldine (July 30, 2018). "Winnipeg club board member resigns after Canadian Nationalist Party meeting". CTV News. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019. The Canadian Nationalist Party booked the club for the meeting, which included an appearance by its leader Travis Patron, for Saturday afternoon, and local activists arranged a counter protest ... The club's statement said during Saturday's protest one of its board members expressed her personal views 'that do not represent the history, heritage or values of the Belgium Club,' and she was asked to resign.
  10. ^ MacLean, Cameron (August 1, 2018). "Belgian Pavilion pulls out of Folklorama after controversy over nationalist party rally". CBC News. Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Dickson, Janice (September 11, 2018). "Bernier takes call from leader of far-right Canadian Nationalist Party, but says there will be no more talks". National Post. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  12. ^ Moro, Teviah (August 2019). "People's Party leader Maxime Bernier pictured with Hamilton white nationalist Paul Fromm". The Hamilton Spectator. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  13. ^ "Calls for crackdown of hate groups after violent rally targets Pride Hamilton celebration". Hamilton Spectator, June 18, 2019.
  14. ^ a b c Moro, Teviah (June 28, 2019). "Hamilton's landscape of hate: How far-right extremists are finding fertile ground". The Hamilton Spectator. Archived from the original on November 18, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  15. ^ Orr, Caroline (June 11, 2019). "Hate groups mix with yellow vests on 'front line' of extremism in Canada". National Observer. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Videos Show Far-Right Hate Groups Launching Violent Attacks Inside Toronto's Eaton Centre". Press Progress. June 24, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  17. ^ Moro, Teviah (June 28, 2019). "Man accused of assault in violent anti-Pride protest held in custody pending bail hearing". The Record. The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved October 26, 2019. Video footage shows the preachers becoming agitated, with at least one pushing against the screen throwing punches. Footage also shows a man wearing pseudo combat gear slugging two of the counter-protesters in the face with a helmet. The preachers, "yellow vests" and men wearing garb of the Canadian Nationalist Party, a far-right group, were escorted out of the park by police.
  18. ^ Tunney, Catharine (July 5, 2019). "RCMP going after Canadian Nationalist Party for intellectual property violation". CBC News. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019. This is a clear violation of RCMP intellectual property rights. No person or organization may use our protected marks without our permission," said spokesperson Sgt. Marie Damian. "This is the first we have heard of this infringement. We will be addressing it shortly.
  19. ^ a b "Canadian White Nationalist Party Kicked Out Of Registered Office Inside the Toronto Star Building". Press Progress. August 23, 2019. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  20. ^ a b c Burke, Ashley (August 29, 2019). "Far-right group accused of white nationalism closer to party status — and increased scrutiny". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  21. ^ Browne, Rachel (August 30, 2019). "Canadian Nationalist Party granted eligibility to become a registered party in the upcoming federal election". Global News. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  22. ^ "Statement on Party Registration Status" (PDF). Canadian Nationalist Party. Canadian Nationalist Party. September 20, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  23. ^ "CNP Attains Official Registration Status". Canadian Nationalist Party. Canadian Nationalist Party. September 20, 2019. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  24. ^ Fitzpatrick, Brian; Melnychuk, Mark (August 18, 2017). "Concerns over hate as Sask. man attempts to organize Toronto nationalist rally". Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  25. ^ "Voter Information Services – List of Candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  26. ^ "Canadian Nationalist Party Leader Travis Patron charged after 2 women attacked in Regina". CBC News. November 13, 2019. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  27. ^ Polischuk, Heather (November 13, 2019). "Far-right political party leader charged with serious assaults on women". Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  28. ^ "Former Canadian Nationalist Party leader gets 18-month sentence for assaulting 2 women in Regina". CBC News. August 23, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  29. ^ a b "Canadian Nationalist Party Flyer Refers to Jews as 'Liars and Deceivers' and a 'Tribe of Parasites'". friendsofsimonwiesenthalcenter.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  30. ^ "Human rights group files hate-speech complaint against Canadian Nationalist Party leader". July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  31. ^ "Canadian Nationalist Party leader charged with wilful promotion of hate". February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  32. ^ "Canadian Nationalist Party leader charged with wilful promotion of hate". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  33. ^ "Leader of Canadian Nationalist Party charged for allegedly promoting hatred with 'anti-Semitic' video". ctvnews.ca. February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  34. ^ "FSWC Welcomes Charges Against Canadian Nationalist Party Leader for Promoting Hatred Against Jews". friendsofsimonwiesenthalcenter.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  35. ^ Zakreski, Dan (October 20, 2022). "Former Canadian Nationalist Party leader Travis Patron sentenced to 1 year for promoting hatred against Jews". CBC News. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  36. ^ "Scarborough White Nationalist Named as Leader of Officially Recognized Neo-Nazi Political Party". www.antihate.ca. Canadian Anti-Hate Network. August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  37. ^ "Deregistration of the Canadian Nationalist Party". www.elections.ca. Elections Canada. March 19, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  38. ^ Mosleh, Omar; Green, Melanie (October 27, 2019). "They're immigrants to Canada. So why are they supporting far-right parties that want to reduce immigration?". Toronto Star.
  39. ^ "About – Canadian Nationalist Party". Canadian Nationalist Party. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019. In order to achieve this fundamental purpose, our political action is directed towards the improvement of the social & economic conditions of an ethnocentric Canada.
  40. ^ "Coelho For Lac-Saint-Louis". Canadian Nationalist Party. October 8, 2019. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019. ... we put the ethnic majority before ethnic minorities while putting forward policies that we believe all Canadians can benefit from.
  41. ^ "Petition: Discontinue Publicly Promoting Homosexuality". Canadian Nationalist Party. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  42. ^ "Program – Canadian Nationalist Party". Canadian Nationalist Party. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
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