Natural Law Party of Canada
Encyclopedia
The Natural Law Party of Canada (NLPC) was the Canadian
branch of the international Natural Law Party
founded in 1992 by a group of educators, business leaders, and lawyers who practiced Transcendental Meditation
.
The magician
Doug Henning
was Senior Vice President of NLPC, and ran as the party's candidate for the former Toronto
riding of Rosedale
in the 1993 federal election
, finishing sixth out of ten candidates. The party was led by Dr. Neil Paterson
.
The NLPC supported federal funding for further research in the technique of yogic flying, a part of the TM-Sidhi program, as a tool for achieving world peace. The NLPC platform maintained that once it took over the government, Canada’s crime, unemployment, and deficit would disappear. Naomi Rankin
, the leader of the Communist Party, called the NLP "crackpot". One of its slogans was "If you favor Natural Law, Natural Law will favor you."
The NLPC was primarily active in the provinces of Ontario
(Natural Law Party of Ontario
), Quebec
(Parti de la loi naturelle du Québec
) and British Columbia
. The provincial wings had candidates and are now defunct.
The party was de-registered by Elections Canada
, the Canadian government's election agency, on January 23, 2003.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
branch of the international Natural Law Party
Natural Law Party
The Natural Law Party was a transnational party based on the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was active in up to 74 countries, and ran candidates in at least ten. Founded in 1992, it was mostly disbanded in 2004 but continues in India and in some U.S. states.The NLP viewed "natural law" as...
founded in 1992 by a group of educators, business leaders, and lawyers who practiced Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation refers to the Transcendental Meditation technique, a specific form of mantra meditation, and to the Transcendental Meditation movement, a spiritual movement...
.
The magician
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
Doug Henning
Doug Henning
Douglas James Henning was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician.-Early life:...
was Senior Vice President of NLPC, and ran as the party's candidate for the former 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...
riding of Rosedale
Rosedale, Toronto
Rosedale is an affluent neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which was formerly the estate of William Botsford Jarvis, and so named by his wife, granddaughter of William Dummer Powell, for the wild roses that grew there in abundance....
in the 1993 federal election
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...
, finishing sixth out of ten candidates. The party was led by Dr. Neil Paterson
Neil Paterson (politician)
Neil Paterson is a politician, former leader of the Natural Law Party of Canada, a senior official of the Transcendental Meditation movement, and majority owner of Global Gold Corporation.-Personal life:...
.
The NLPC supported federal funding for further research in the technique of yogic flying, a part of the TM-Sidhi program, as a tool for achieving world peace. The NLPC platform maintained that once it took over the government, Canada’s crime, unemployment, and deficit would disappear. Naomi Rankin
Naomi Rankin
Naomi Rankin is the current leader of the Communist Party of Alberta in Alberta, Canada.She has been leader of the Communist Party since 1992 and has run in every provincial and federal election in Alberta since 1982, for the Communist Party or the Communist Party of Canada...
, the leader of the Communist Party, called the NLP "crackpot". One of its slogans was "If you favor Natural Law, Natural Law will favor you."
The NLPC was primarily active in the provinces of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
(Natural Law Party of Ontario
Natural Law Party of Ontario
The Natural Law Party of Ontario was a political party in Ontario, Canada, the provincial affiliate of the Natural Law Party of Canada. It was established in 1993, and fielded candidates in the 1995 and 1999 provincial elections. Ashley Deans was the president of the party between 1993 and 2000,...
), 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....
(Parti de la loi naturelle du Québec
Parti de la loi naturelle du Québec
The Parti de la loi naturelle du Québec was the Quebec branch of the international Natural Law Party, the political arm of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation movement. It never won a seat in the National Assembly...
) and 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...
. The provincial wings had candidates and are now defunct.
The party was de-registered by 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 Canadian government's election agency, on January 23, 2003.
Election results
The Party never won a seat in Parliament.| Election | # of candidates nominated | # of seats won | # of total votes | % of popular vote | % of pop vote NLP ridings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 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... |
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| 1997 Canadian federal election, 1997 The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government... |
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| 2000 Canadian federal election, 2000 The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada.... |
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See also
- Natural Law Party candidates, 2000 Canadian federal electionNatural Law Party candidates, 2000 Canadian federal electionThe Natural Law Party of Canada fielded several candidates in the 2000 federal election, none of whom were elected. Information about these candidates may be found here.-Gatineau: Jean-Claude Pommet:...
- Natural Law Party candidates, 1997 Canadian federal electionNatural Law Party candidates, 1997 Canadian federal electionThe Natural Law Party of Canada ran several candidates in the 1997 federal election, none of whom were elected.-LaSalle-Émard: Russell Guest:...
- Natural Law Party candidates, 1993 Canadian federal electionNatural Law Party candidates, 1993 Canadian federal electionThe Natural Law Party of Canada fielded several candidates in the 1993 federal election, none of whom were elected. Information about these candidates may be found on this page.-Matapédia—Matane: Pierre Gauthier:...
- Natural Law PartyNatural Law PartyThe Natural Law Party was a transnational party based on the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was active in up to 74 countries, and ran candidates in at least ten. Founded in 1992, it was mostly disbanded in 2004 but continues in India and in some U.S. states.The NLP viewed "natural law" as...
- Natural Law Party of OntarioNatural Law Party of OntarioThe Natural Law Party of Ontario was a political party in Ontario, Canada, the provincial affiliate of the Natural Law Party of Canada. It was established in 1993, and fielded candidates in the 1995 and 1999 provincial elections. Ashley Deans was the president of the party between 1993 and 2000,...
- Parti de la loi naturelle du QuébecParti de la loi naturelle du QuébecThe Parti de la loi naturelle du Québec was the Quebec branch of the international Natural Law Party, the political arm of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation movement. It never won a seat in the National Assembly...
- List of political parties in Canada