Independent candidates, 1993 Canadian federal election
Encyclopedia
There were several independent candidates in the 1993 Canadian federal election
, some of whom were associated with unregistered parties. One independent candidate, Gilles Bernier
of Beauce
, was elected. Information about other such candidates may be found here.
Nickel Belt
Ernie Ashick identified as an auctioneer. He received 122 votes (0.27%), finishing seventh against Liberal
candidate Ray Bonin.
Ottawa—Vanier
Talbot was a twenty-year-old university student at the time of the election. He served as a parliamentary page in 1992-1993, and chose to campaign for office after seeing parliamentarians vote the party line on issues they knew nothing about. He printed a number of t-shirts for the campaign, which read "Listen to the voice of youth" (Ottawa Citizen, 19 October 1993). Talbot received 445 votes (0.92%), finishing seventh against Liberal
incumbent Jean-Robert Gauthier
. He returned to his studies at the University of Ottawa
after the campaign (Ottawa Citizen, 24 June 1994), and was an organizer for the Students' Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) (Citizen, 22 November 1994).
Talbot subsequently joined the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
, and ran for the party's nomination for a 1995 by-election
in Ottawa—Vanier. He lost to Francoise Guenette (Citizen, 15 February 1995). He later worked as a communications specialist for party leader Jean Charest
(Citizen, 12 March 1998) and a press aide for Charest's interim successor, Elsie Wayne
(Montreal Gazette, 8 August 1998).
Parry Sound—Muskoka
John Farr is a paralegal and freelance title searcher based in Bracebridge, Ontario
. He was once a lawyer based in Orillia
, but was disbarred in 1982 after having been found to have misappropriated funds. He acknowledged his past in a 2010 municipal campaign, saying that these events occurred many years ago and had no bearing on his current activities.
Farr ran for the Canadian House of Commons
as an independent candidate in 1993, for the mayoralty of Bracebridge in 1994, and for the Bracebridge town council in 2006 and 2010. On each occasion, he finished well behind the victorious candidate.
Sources: Thirty-fifth General Election, 1993: Official Voting Results, Published by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada; Official results from 1994, 2006, and 2010, City of Bracebridge.
Calgary Southwest
Gabriel is a civil engineer, and owned a catering business at the time of the election. He formed a group called "Canada in a New Century" in 1992 to oppose the Charlottetown Accord
, and unsuccessfully sought the Reform Party
nomination for Calgary Northeast
in the same year. He was forty-four years old in 1993.
He campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
in the 1993 provincial election
, running as an independent candidate against Premier
Ralph Klein. His candidacy centred around a "contract" which he encouraged all MLAs to sign, promising cuts to government expenditures and to the salaries and pensions of elected officials. Signatories were also pledged to resign if they violated the terms of the agreement. It does not appear that any elected officials chose to sign the contract
Gabriel campaigned for the Calgary City Council
later in 1993. He finished eighth out of nine candidates in Calgary Southwest in the 1993 federal election, losing to Reform Party leader Preston Manning
.
He later challenged Al Duerr
for Mayor of Calgary in 1995, promising to take a 50% pay cut in his first year and to encourage more popular participation in government. By this time, he had changed the name of his political advocacy organization to the Canada Modern Empire Strategic Institute. He refused to use campaign signs in this election, commenting "I'll have no election signs on the streets. Pollution is not part of my religion". He also called for the city to distribute money to companies on the condition that it be used to create jobs.
The 1993 municipal results are taken from the Calgary Herald, 21 September 1993, B1, and the 1995 results are taken from the Calgary Herald, 17 October 1995, A1. Italicized numbers are unofficial.
Brome—Missisquoi
Yvon V. Boulanger identified as a manufacturer. He received 107 votes (0.29%), finishing seventh against Liberal Party
candidate Denis Paradis
. There was a Union Nationale candidate named Yvon Boulanger in the 1981 Quebec provincial election
, but it is not clear if this was the same person.
. During the 1990s, he operated a footwear store on King Street East. He became politically active in 1995, after his brother Louis was killed by a seventeen-year-old offender at another of the family's stores in Toronto
. He and a third brother, Tom Ambas, started a national petition calling for reforms to Canada's Young Offenders Act
, such that youths accused of murder would be publicly identified and tried and sentenced as adults.
In 1996, Ambas ran as an independent candidate against prominent national politician Sheila Copps
in a Hamilton East by-election. His campaign was centered around the Young Offenders Act. He was quoted as saying, "I am not a heartless human being — I am all for extra spending on prevention and everything that goes with that. But I'm also for real punishment for those few who rape, murder and commit armed robbery." Ambas also indicated that he never contemplated running for public office before his brother's death and had always voted for the Liberal Party
.
He received 160 votes (0.60%), finishing sixth in a field of thirteen candidates, and returned to private life after this time. His brother Tom later ran in Scarborough Southwest
as a Reform Party
candidate.
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, some of whom were associated with unregistered parties. One independent candidate, Gilles Bernier
Gilles Bernier (Quebec politician)
Gilles Bernier, MP is a former Canadian politician and diplomat. He was the Member of Parliament representing the riding of Beauce from 1984 to 1997, initially as a Progressive Conservative and later as an Independent...
of Beauce
Beauce (electoral district)
Beauce is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1867. In 2006, it had a population of 103,617 people, of whom 82,123 were eligible voters.-Geography:...
, was elected. Information about other such candidates may be found here.
Nickel BeltNickel BeltNickel Belt is one of two federal electoral districts serving the Greater City of Sudbury.Nickel Belt has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1953.It consists of:...
: Ernie Ashick
Ernie Ashick identified as an auctioneer. He received 122 votes (0.27%), finishing seventh against LiberalLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
candidate Ray Bonin.
Ottawa—VanierOttawa—VanierOttawa—Vanier is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935...
: David Talbot
Talbot was a twenty-year-old university student at the time of the election. He served as a parliamentary page in 1992-1993, and chose to campaign for office after seeing parliamentarians vote the party line on issues they knew nothing about. He printed a number of t-shirts for the campaign, which read "Listen to the voice of youth" (Ottawa Citizen, 19 October 1993). Talbot received 445 votes (0.92%), finishing seventh against LiberalLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
incumbent Jean-Robert Gauthier
Jean-Robert Gauthier
Jean-Robert Gauthier, CM, O.Ont was a Canadian politician.A chiropractor by training, he entered politics as trustee on a local school board. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons to represent the riding of Ottawa East in the 1972 election as a Liberal Party Member of Parliament...
. He returned to his studies at the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
after the campaign (Ottawa Citizen, 24 June 1994), and was an organizer for the Students' Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) (Citizen, 22 November 1994).
Talbot subsequently joined the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
, and ran for the party's nomination for a 1995 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Ottawa—Vanier. He lost to Francoise Guenette (Citizen, 15 February 1995). He later worked as a communications specialist for party leader Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
(Citizen, 12 March 1998) and a press aide for Charest's interim successor, Elsie Wayne
Elsie Wayne
Elsie Eleanore Wayne is a Canadian politician, and a former Progressive Conservative MP for Saint John.-Political career:In 1977, she was elected to the Saint John municipal council...
(Montreal Gazette, 8 August 1998).
Parry Sound—MuskokaParry Sound—MuskokaParry Sound—Muskoka is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1949....
: John Farr
John Farr is a paralegal and freelance title searcher based in Bracebridge, OntarioBracebridge, Ontario
Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality of Ontario, Canada.The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls . It was first incorporated in 1875...
. He was once a lawyer based in Orillia
Orillia, Ontario
Orillia, pronounced ōrĭl'ēə, is a city located in Simcoe County in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, 135 kilometres north of Toronto.Originally incorporated as a village in 1867, the history of...
, but was disbarred in 1982 after having been found to have misappropriated funds. He acknowledged his past in a 2010 municipal campaign, saying that these events occurred many years ago and had no bearing on his current activities.
Farr ran for the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as an independent candidate in 1993, for the mayoralty of Bracebridge in 1994, and for the Bracebridge town council in 2006 and 2010. On each occasion, he finished well behind the victorious candidate.
| Election | Division | Party | Votes | % | Place | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 federal Canadian federal election, 1993 The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time... |
Parry Sound—Muskoka Parry Sound—Muskoka Parry Sound—Muskoka is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1949.... |
Independent | 181 | 0.39 | 7/8 | Andy Mitchell, Liberal Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative... |
| 1994 Bracebridge municipal Bracebridge municipal election, 1994 The 1994 Bracebridge municipal election was held on November 14, 1994 to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in the town of Bracebridge, Ontario.-Results:... |
Mayor of Bracebridge | n/a | 92 | 6/6 | 1.78 | Russ Black |
| 2006 Bracebridge municipal Bracebridge municipal election, 2006 The 2006 Bracebridge municipal election was held on November 13, 2006 to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in the town of Bracebridge, Ontario.-Results:... |
Councillor, Muskoka North/Monck | n/a | 185 | 10.53 | 4/4 | Edith Nichols |
| 2010 Bracebridge municipal Bracebridge municipal election, 2010 The 2010 Bracebridge municipal election was held on October 25, 2010, to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in the town of Bracebridge, Ontario.-Results:... |
Councillor, Muskoka North/Monck | n/a | 157 | 7.67 | 5/5 | Mark Quemby |
Sources: Thirty-fifth General Election, 1993: Official Voting Results, Published by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada; Official results from 1994, 2006, and 2010, City of Bracebridge.
Calgary SouthwestCalgary SouthwestCalgary Southwest is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. The district is in the southwest part of the City of Calgary, south of Glenmore Trail, and west of the Canadian Pacific railway.The seat is held by Prime...
: Miel S.R. Gabriel
Gabriel is a civil engineer, and owned a catering business at the time of the election. He formed a group called "Canada in a New Century" in 1992 to oppose the Charlottetown AccordCharlottetown Accord
The Charlottetown Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendum on October 26 of that year, and was defeated.-Background:...
, and unsuccessfully sought the Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
nomination for Calgary Northeast
Calgary Northeast
Calgary Northeast is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. It is an urban riding in the city of Calgary.-History:...
in the same year. He was forty-four years old in 1993.
He campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
in the 1993 provincial election
Alberta general election, 1993
The Alberta general election of 1993 was the twenty-third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 15, 1993 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta...
, running as an independent candidate against Premier
Premier of Alberta
The Premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is Alison Redford. She became Premier by winning the Progressive Conservative leadership elections on...
Ralph Klein. His candidacy centred around a "contract" which he encouraged all MLAs to sign, promising cuts to government expenditures and to the salaries and pensions of elected officials. Signatories were also pledged to resign if they violated the terms of the agreement. It does not appear that any elected officials chose to sign the contract
Gabriel campaigned for the Calgary City Council
Calgary City Council
The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Calgary. The Council consists of two offices; Office of the Mayor and Office of the Alderman. Naheed Nenshi was elected to the Office of the Mayor in October 2010 as the city's 36th chief executive...
later in 1993. He finished eighth out of nine candidates in Calgary Southwest in the 1993 federal election, losing to Reform Party leader Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
.
He later challenged Al Duerr
Al Duerr
Alfred Herman Duerr is a former Canadian politician who served as the 34th Mayor of Calgary, Alberta from 1989 to 2001, and a city alderman from 1983 to 1989. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Emergo Projects International, and serves on the board of directors for two other companies in Calgary...
for Mayor of Calgary in 1995, promising to take a 50% pay cut in his first year and to encourage more popular participation in government. By this time, he had changed the name of his political advocacy organization to the Canada Modern Empire Strategic Institute. He refused to use campaign signs in this election, commenting "I'll have no election signs on the streets. Pollution is not part of my religion". He also called for the city to distribute money to companies on the condition that it be used to create jobs.
| Election | Division | Party | Votes | % | Place | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 provincial Alberta general election, 1993 The Alberta general election of 1993 was the twenty-third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 15, 1993 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta... |
Calgary-Elbow | Ind. | 101 | 5/6 | Ralph Klein, Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta is a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta... |
|
| Calgary municipal by-election, 20 September 1993 | Council Ward 5 | - | 11 | 23/23 | Ray Jones | |
| 1993 federal Canadian federal election, 1993 The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time... |
Calgary Southwest Calgary Southwest Calgary Southwest is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. The district is in the southwest part of the City of Calgary, south of Glenmore Trail, and west of the Canadian Pacific railway.The seat is held by Prime... |
- | 57 | 0.08 | 8/9 | Preston Manning Preston Manning Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance... , Reform Reform Party of Canada The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party.... |
| 1995 Calgary municipal | Mayor | - | 1,137 | 5/7 | Al Duerr Al Duerr Alfred Herman Duerr is a former Canadian politician who served as the 34th Mayor of Calgary, Alberta from 1989 to 2001, and a city alderman from 1983 to 1989. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Emergo Projects International, and serves on the board of directors for two other companies in Calgary... |
The 1993 municipal results are taken from the Calgary Herald, 21 September 1993, B1, and the 1995 results are taken from the Calgary Herald, 17 October 1995, A1. Italicized numbers are unofficial.
Brome—MissisquoiBrome—MissisquoiBrome—Missisquoi is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925...
, February 13, 1996: Yvon V. Boulanger
Yvon V. Boulanger identified as a manufacturer. He received 107 votes (0.29%), finishing seventh against Liberal PartyLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
candidate Denis Paradis
Denis Paradis
Denis Paradis, PC is a politician and lawyer from the Canadian province of Quebec. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1995 to 2006 and was a minister in the governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin...
. There was a Union Nationale candidate named Yvon Boulanger in the 1981 Quebec provincial election
Quebec general election, 1981
The Quebec general election of 1981 was held on April 13, 1981, to elect members of the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The incumbent Parti Québécois, led by René Lévesque, won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party, led by Claude Ryan.The PQ won re-election despite...
, but it is not clear if this was the same person.
Hamilton East, June 17, 1996: George Ambas
George Ambas was an entrepreneur in HamiltonHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
. During the 1990s, he operated a footwear store on King Street East. He became politically active in 1995, after his brother Louis was killed by a seventeen-year-old offender at another of the family's stores in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. He and a third brother, Tom Ambas, started a national petition calling for reforms to Canada's Young Offenders Act
Young Offenders Act
The Young Offenders Act was an act of the Parliament of Canada, granted Royal Assent in 1984, that regulated the criminal prosecution of Canadian youths...
, such that youths accused of murder would be publicly identified and tried and sentenced as adults.
In 1996, Ambas ran as an independent candidate against prominent national politician Sheila Copps
Sheila Copps
Sheila Maureen Copps, PC is a former Canadian politician who also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from November 4, 1993 to April 30, 1996 and June 19, 1996 to June 11, 1997....
in a Hamilton East by-election. His campaign was centered around the Young Offenders Act. He was quoted as saying, "I am not a heartless human being — I am all for extra spending on prevention and everything that goes with that. But I'm also for real punishment for those few who rape, murder and commit armed robbery." Ambas also indicated that he never contemplated running for public office before his brother's death and had always voted for the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
.
He received 160 votes (0.60%), finishing sixth in a field of thirteen candidates, and returned to private life after this time. His brother Tom later ran in Scarborough Southwest
Scarborough Southwest
Scarborough Southwest is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons.On Toronto City Council, the southeast portion is represented by Gary Crawford. The northwest section is represented by Michelle Berardinetti.-Geography:It covers the...
as a Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
candidate.