Marijuana Party candidates, 2006 Canadian federal election
Encyclopedia
The Marijuana Party of Canada
fielded several candidates in the 2006 federal election
, none of whom were elected.
Carleton—Mississippi Mills
Kolaczysnki listed himself as a postal worker in the 2004 campaign.
Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington
Rathwell was born on November 26, 1958 in Carleton Place
, Ontario. He later moved to Alberta
to work in the oilpatch for five years, and spent five additional years working at a sour gas factory. He has a Fourth Class Stationary Engineering certificate from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
He credits marijuana for helping him come to terms with post-traumatic stress syndrome, arguing that conventional treatments did not work for him (Ottawa Citizen, 10 June 1998). His wife also suffers from multiple sclerosis
, and Rathwell believes that marijuana use has kept her alive by causing the condition to subside. He joined the Marijuana Party after he was denied a certificate to grow marijuana for medical purposes and sentenced to nine months in jail for illegal cultivation.
He received 501 votes (0.84%), finishing sixth against Conservative
incumbent Scott Reid
.
Oxford
James Bender (b.1964) is self made, operating Lady Godivas in Woodstock, Ontario
, as well as former operator of "The Ganja Tree" in Woodstock, Ontario. Bender has been involved in social protest for many years in several areas. He is a proponent of legal marijuana, regulated by the government with similar control and distribution mechanisms in place in order to stabilize the industry, removing it from the paradigm of criminality. At present he is working on a pesticide ban, the redirecting of a golf course, (in order to protect a wetland area) and is a member of the Trans National Radical Party which holds NGO in consultant status with the United Nations.
He regularly contributes to many national and local newspapers as an opinion writer. He operates an online newspaper known as the Woodstock Ontario Independent News.
Bender was awarded the Community Care and Access "Heroes in the Home Award", receiving commendation from Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty
, as well as many other government officials and leaders for his role in arguing a human rights case involving summer access to camp programs for disabled children against the city of Woodstock, Ontario which he subsequently won.
Bender ran unsuccessfully for city council in Woodstock, Ontario in the November 2006 municipal elections. He garnered 2023 votes, representing 23% of the votes cast for municipal council.
Bender also ran in the 2007 Ontario general elections as an Independent candidate, coming in fourth place ahead of the Family Coalition, a branch of the Christian Heritage Party
. He won a total vote count of 632 votes.
Bender has cast himself as a social liberal, fiscal conservative.
Bender has organized and registered with Elections Canada
, the Oxford Marijuana Party, effective February, 2007.
Bender lives in Woodstock with his partner and two children, one who is autistic.
Peterborough
Aiden Wiechula was born on November 10, 1985, in Halifax, Nova Scotia
, and lived in Waterloo
, Ontario; Saudi Arabia
; and Vancouver Island
, British Columbia
before moving to Peterborough to attend Trent University
. He was a member of the New Democratic Party
before joining the Marijuana Party and was a twenty-year old History student at the time of the 2006 election. When he declared his candidacy, he was quoted as saying, "The cannabis issue is a great example of everything the government has mishandled and done wrong. It [voting for the Marijuana Party] is a great protest vote against bigger party mentality."
Wiechula was on the left wing of the Marijuana Party. He has said that he became interested in politics via an opposition to the American invasion of Iraq
. During the 2006 campaign, he called for free community college courses and for university student tuition fees to be cut in half. He denied that this would result in a lower quality of education, pointing to the example of low tuition fees in Quebec
.
Wiechula received 455 votes (0.72%) on election, finishing fifth against Conservative
candidate Dean Del Mastro
. He later joked that he had fulfilled his goal of receiving more votes than his father, Marek Wiechula, who received 204 votes as a Libertarian Party candidate in the 1975 Ontario provincial election
.
In 2009, Wiechula wrote a piece defending the political legacy of J.S. Woodsworth, founder of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
.
Marijuana Party of Canada
The Marijuana Party is a Canadian federal political party. Its agenda consists of ending prohibition of cannabis. With the exception of this one issue, the party does not have "official policy" in any other area...
fielded several candidates in the 2006 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, none of whom were elected.
Carleton—Mississippi MillsCarleton—Mississippi MillsCarleton–Mississippi Mills is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988....
: George Walter Kolaczynski
Kolaczysnki listed himself as a postal worker in the 2004 campaign.| Election | Division | Party | Votes | % | Place | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 federal Canadian federal election, 2004 The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections... |
Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.... |
Mari | 479 | 0.85 | 6/6 | Scott Reid Scott Reid (politician) Scott Jeffrey Reid is a Canadian politician. He has served in the Canadian House of Commons since 2000, and currently represents the Ontario riding of Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington as a member of the Conservative Party.... , Conservative Party Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum... |
| 2006 federal Canadian federal election, 2006 The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:... |
Carleton—Mississippi Mills Carleton—Mississippi Mills Carleton–Mississippi Mills is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988.... |
Mari | 426 | 5/6 | Gordon O'Connor Gordon O'Connor Gordon James O'Connor, is a retired Brigadier-General, businessman, lobbyist, and current Canadian Member of Parliament and the Minister of State and Chief Government Whip.... , Conservative Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum... |
Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and AddingtonLanark—Frontenac—Lennox and AddingtonLanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004....
: Ernest Rathwell
Rathwell was born on November 26, 1958 in Carleton PlaceCarleton Place, Ontario
Carleton Place is a town in the eastern portion of Eastern Ontario, Canada, in Lanark County, about west of downtown Ottawa. It is located at the crossroads of Highway 15 and Highway 7, halfway between the towns of Perth, Almonte, Smiths Falls, and the nation's capital, Ottawa...
, Ontario. He later moved to Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
to work in the oilpatch for five years, and spent five additional years working at a sour gas factory. He has a Fourth Class Stationary Engineering certificate from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
He credits marijuana for helping him come to terms with post-traumatic stress syndrome, arguing that conventional treatments did not work for him (Ottawa Citizen, 10 June 1998). His wife also suffers from multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
, and Rathwell believes that marijuana use has kept her alive by causing the condition to subside. He joined the Marijuana Party after he was denied a certificate to grow marijuana for medical purposes and sentenced to nine months in jail for illegal cultivation.
He received 501 votes (0.84%), finishing sixth against Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
incumbent Scott Reid
Scott Reid (politician)
Scott Jeffrey Reid is a Canadian politician. He has served in the Canadian House of Commons since 2000, and currently represents the Ontario riding of Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington as a member of the Conservative Party....
.
OxfordOxford (electoral district)Oxford is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since the 1935 election.It consists of the county of Oxford....
: James Bender
James Bender (b.1964) is self made, operating Lady Godivas in Woodstock, OntarioWoodstock, Ontario
Woodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
, as well as former operator of "The Ganja Tree" in Woodstock, Ontario. Bender has been involved in social protest for many years in several areas. He is a proponent of legal marijuana, regulated by the government with similar control and distribution mechanisms in place in order to stabilize the industry, removing it from the paradigm of criminality. At present he is working on a pesticide ban, the redirecting of a golf course, (in order to protect a wetland area) and is a member of the Trans National Radical Party which holds NGO in consultant status with the United Nations.
He regularly contributes to many national and local newspapers as an opinion writer. He operates an online newspaper known as the Woodstock Ontario Independent News.
Bender was awarded the Community Care and Access "Heroes in the Home Award", receiving commendation from Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
, as well as many other government officials and leaders for his role in arguing a human rights case involving summer access to camp programs for disabled children against the city of Woodstock, Ontario which he subsequently won.
Bender ran unsuccessfully for city council in Woodstock, Ontario in the November 2006 municipal elections. He garnered 2023 votes, representing 23% of the votes cast for municipal council.
Bender also ran in the 2007 Ontario general elections as an Independent candidate, coming in fourth place ahead of the Family Coalition, a branch of the Christian Heritage Party
Christian Heritage Party of Canada
The Christian Heritage Party of Canada, also referred to as CHP Canada, is a federal political party that advocates that Canada be governed according to Biblical principles...
. He won a total vote count of 632 votes.
Bender has cast himself as a social liberal, fiscal conservative.
Bender has organized and registered with Elections Canada
Elections Canada
Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency reporting directly to the Parliament of Canada. Its ongoing responsibility is to ensure that Canadians can exercise their choices in federal elections and referenda through an open and impartial process...
, the Oxford Marijuana Party, effective February, 2007.
Bender lives in Woodstock with his partner and two children, one who is autistic.
PeterboroughPeterborough (electoral district)Peterborough is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1953.The riding's borders have differed slightly since its creation in 1953, but has always included most or all of Peterborough County and its county seat of...
: Aiden Wiechula
Aiden Wiechula was born on November 10, 1985, in Halifax, Nova ScotiaNova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, and lived in Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
, Ontario; Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
; and Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
before moving to Peterborough to attend Trent University
Trent University
Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
. He was a member of the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
before joining the Marijuana Party and was a twenty-year old History student at the time of the 2006 election. When he declared his candidacy, he was quoted as saying, "The cannabis issue is a great example of everything the government has mishandled and done wrong. It [voting for the Marijuana Party] is a great protest vote against bigger party mentality."
Wiechula was on the left wing of the Marijuana Party. He has said that he became interested in politics via an opposition to the American invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. During the 2006 campaign, he called for free community college courses and for university student tuition fees to be cut in half. He denied that this would result in a lower quality of education, pointing to the example of low tuition fees in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Wiechula received 455 votes (0.72%) on election, finishing fifth against Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
candidate Dean Del Mastro
Dean Del Mastro
Dean A. Del Mastro, is a Canadian politician. Since 2006, he has represented Peterborough in the Canadian House of Commons as a member of the Conservative Party...
. He later joked that he had fulfilled his goal of receiving more votes than his father, Marek Wiechula, who received 204 votes as a Libertarian Party candidate in the 1975 Ontario provincial election
Ontario general election, 1975
The Ontario general election of 1975 was held on September 18, 1975, to elect the 125 members of the 30th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
.
In 2009, Wiechula wrote a piece defending the political legacy of J.S. Woodsworth, founder of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...
.