Canadians' Choice Party

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
AbbreviationCCP
LeaderBahman Yazdanfar
PresidentBahman Yazdanfar[1]
FoundedAugust 26, 2011
Headquarters1-927 Danforth Ave, Toronto ON M4J 1L8[2]
IdeologyDirect democracy
Seats in Legislature
0 / 107
Website
canadianschoice.com

History

The 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

The 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

The 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

In 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 Leader190.04%10/10
St. Catharines Jon Radick 620.14%7/8
Toronto—Danforth John Richardson 750.2%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 Leader780.15%11/11
Scarborough—Guildwood John Sawdon 1200.34%7/7
Newmarket—Aurora Dorian Baxter 9221.76%5/7
Toronto—Danforth John Richardson 1670.4%7/10

In the 2018 election, the party ran five candidates:

Riding Candidate's Name Notes Votes % Rank
Beaches—East York Bahman Yazdanfar Party Leader740.14%9/11
Barrie—Innisfil Jake Tucker 1840.42%6/8
Brantford—Brant Leslie Bory 2530.44%8/9
Etobicoke Centre Paul Fromm 6311.10%5/7
Ottawa Centre James Sears 920.14%8/8

References
  1. "Registered Political Parties". Elections Ontario. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  2. "Registered Political Parties in Ontario". Archived from the original on 2018-11-26. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  3. "Submit your nomination, before fundraising, and accepting donations". www.canadianschoice.ca. Archived from the original on 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  4. "Bahman Yazdanfar". www.canadianschoice.ca. Archived from the original on 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  5. "Fringe parties add spice to Ontario election despite no hope of seats". CityNews Toronto. 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  6. "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.
  7. Delamont, Kieran (2018-05-17). "Ottawa Centre candidates set to square off at community debate". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
  8. Crawford, Blair (2018-05-10). "Hate crime charge hangs over Ottawa Centre candidate". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
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