Ontario Libertarian Party


The Ontario Libertarian Party is a libertarian political party in the Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1975 by Bruce Evoy, Vince Miller, and others, the party was inspired by the 1972 formation of the Libertarian Party in the United States. The party is guided by a charter of principles, in addition to the philosophical values of the Austrian School of Economics. It is influenced by authors and thinkers such as Jan Narveson and Murray Rothbard.
In the 2018 Ontario general election, the Libertarian Party was one of only five such organizations running a candidate in a majority of the province's electoral districts. Keith Komar was elected as party leader at the November 2019 convention, replacing leader Rob Ferguson.

Election results

In 1995, under the leadership of John Shadbolt, the party's total vote declined to 6,085 votes. Shadbolt resigned one day after the 1995 election, and was replaced by George Dance on an interim basis. Sam Apelbaum was chosen as the party's full-time leader at a convention in October 1996.
Changes to the Ontario Election Act, enabling fixed election dates at four-year intervals, allowed the party to prepare well in advance for the 2007 general election. As a result, 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, 0.45% of the popular vote. This was more than double the number of candidates and votes received in the 2007 general election.
The party's most successful election was in the 2014 general election, with Libertarian candidates receiving 0.81% of the vote.
Election yearNo. of
overall votes		% of
overall total		No. of
candidates run		No. of
seats won		+/−Presence
19754,75217New Party
19779,961310
19817,087120
198512,8310.4%170
198713,5140.36%250
199024,6130.61%450
19956,0850.15%70
19992,3370.05%70
20031,9910.04%50
20079,2490.21%250
201119,4470.45%510
201437,6960.81%740
201842,9180.75%1170

Executive committee

Conventions are held every three years to elect the Leader, Deputy Leader, Chairman, Vice Chair, Secretary, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and Campaign Director for a three-year term. All of these positions, except Leader and Deputy Leader, may be replaced by election at a General Meeting. Members-at-Large are elected for a one-year term at a Convention or Annual General Meeting.
The party's Executive Committee, elected at its November 2019 Convention in Ajax, includes: