The Ontario Libertarian Party (OLP; ) is a minor libertarian party in the Canadian province of Ontario.
The party is guided by a charter of principles, and proposes an Ontario charter of rights and freedoms which includes a section on immigration language restrictions. It holds that Ontario is a "sovereign state within the nation of Canada", and seeks to increase provincial autonomy.
History On May 26, 1974, Terry Coughlin was elected the first leader of the party at the Libertarian Party of Canada convention. The party was officially founded on July 24, 1974 in Whitby.
In 1978, a benefit concert named "Rock Against Repression" was organised by the punk group Battered Wives; proceeds were split between the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Ontario Libertarian Party.The Gazette Nov 25 1978 • Montreal, https://www.oldnews.com/en/record?lang=en&record_id=record-10835-43307636
Leaders
Leader Term start Term end NotesGeorge DanceJune 9, 19951996InterimSam Apelbaum October 1996November 5, 2011Allen SmallNovember 5, 2011July 13, 2018Rob FergusonJuly 13, 2018November 2, 2019InterimKeith KomarNovember 2, 2019October 24, 2021Mark SnowOctober 24, 2021November 15, 2025Sean ConroyNovember 15, 2025present
Election results
In the 2007 general election, the party fielded 25 candidates and obtained a total of 9,249 votes.
In the 2011 general election, the party ran 51 candidates and won a total of 19,387 votes; the party received 0.45% of the popular vote, which was more than double the number of candidates and votes received in 2007.
In the 2018 Ontario general election, the Libertarian Party ran in 117 out of 124 ridings, receiving 0.74% of the overall vote.
The party fielded only 16 candidates in the 2022 Ontario general election.
In 1986, president Kaye Sargent received 93 votes in the Cochrane North by-election."No Contest as Fontaine Romps", A1 A2, The Windsor Star Aug 15 1986 • Windsor, Ontario In 2024, leader Mark Snow received 129 votes, 0.35%, in a by-election in Bay of Quinte.
The party has never won a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
+ Election results Election year Leader No. ofoverall votes % ofoverall total No. ofcandidates run No. ofseats won +/− Presence 1975Terry Coughlin4,7520.13%17 New Party 1977Paul Mollon9,9610.30%31 0 1981Scott Bell7,0870.22%12 0 198512,8310.4%17 0 1987Kaye Sargent13,5140.36%25 0 1990James Stock24,6130.61%45 0 1995John Shadbolt6,0850.15%7 0 1999Sam Apelbaum2,3370.05%7 0 20031,9910.04%5 0 20079,2490.21%25 0 201119,4470.45%51 0 2014Allen Small37,6960.81%74 0 201842,9180.75%117 0 2022Mark Snow 5,2420.11%16 0 20257,6840.15%17 0
See also
Libertarian Party candidates, 2003 Ontario provincial election List of Ontario general elections List of political parties in Canada
References
External links