Atlantica Party Explained

Atlantica Party
Subheader:Defunct provincial party
Leader:Kyle Woodbury
Foundation:2006
Registered:March 8, 2010 (original)
June 28, 2016 (relaunch)
Dissolved:June 5, 2012 (original)
April 30, 2024 (relaunch)
Headquarters:36 Heritage Drive
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
B2G 2T6
Membership:100-200[1]
Membership Year:2021
Colours: Blue and white
Blank1 Title:Fiscal policy
Blank2 Title:Social policy
Seats1 Title:Seats in the House of Commons
Seats2 Title:Seats in the Senate
Seats3 Title:Seats in House of Assembly
Country:Canada
State:Nova Scotia
Parties Dab1:List of political parties in Nova Scotia
Elections Dab1:List of post-confederation Nova Scotia general elections

The Atlantica Party was a political party in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The party supported policies that are based on classical liberal principles such as laissez-faire "free market" economics, freedom of business, and freedom of the individual. The party also sought to increase citizen participation in all levels of government with additional oversight of current government structure.[2]

History

The Atlantica Party was originally founded in 2006.[3] It was organized by Jonathan Dean in 2009.[4] It first registered as a political party on March 8, 2010.[5] It contested the 2010 Nova Scotia provincial by-elections in Glace Bay and Yarmouth, finishing a distant last place in both ridings. The party also ran in the Cape Breton North by-election in 2011, where they were also unsuccessful.

The first iteration of the party was de-registered on June 5, 2012.[6]

The Atlantica Party was re-registered as a political party by Elections Nova Scotia on June 28, 2016.[7]

Its first contested election was the 2017 provincial election. The party ran 15 candidates then and received a total of 1,632 votes, 0.4% of the provincial total.[8]

On January 8, 2018, inaugural party leader Jonathan Dean announced his resignation from the party.[9] Ryan Smyth was named as interim leader of the party on January 16, 2018; however, he took over as interim leader on January 7, 2018, the effective date of Dean's resignation.[10]

On June 20, 2018, Chief Electoral Officer of Elections Nova Scotia, Richard Temporale, suspended the party for breaches of sections 216(3)(a) and 216(3)(b) respectively due to an illegal loan made by former leader, Jonathan Dean.[11] On July 31, Mr. Dean entered into a compliance agreement with Elections Nova Scotia.[12] The party entered into its own compliance agreement with Elections Nova Scotia on August 7, 2018.[13] The party was reinstated by Elections Nova Scotia on August 16, 2018.[14]

Ryan Smyth resigned as interim leader on April 18, 2019; subsequently, Thomas Bethell was elected as the new interim leader by the party on April 23, 2019.

Under Bethell, the Atlantica Party contested three by-elections to the 63rd General Assembly of Nova Scotia. On June 18, 2019, David Boyd received 43 votes, 0.7% of the total vote in the riding of Sackville-Cobequid. On September 3, 2019, interim leader, Thomas Bethell received 28 votes, 0.4% of the total vote in the riding of Northside-Westmount.[15] On March 10, 2020, Matthew Rushton received 55 votes, 1.0% of the total in the electoral district of Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River.[16]

Bethell resigned as leader March 26, 2020, and Smyth returned as interim leader on March 29, 2020.

On August 31, 2020, the Halifax Examiner reported that Jonathan Dean was once again leader. Bousquet noted that he believed Dean leaked the announcement of his own return.[17]

On November 20, 2020, the party finally issued an announcement that Mr. Dean had returned as leader, nearly three months after he was appointed by the executive without any consultation with the party's membership.[18]

On November 26, 2020, Mr. Dean gave his first interview in nearly three years on The Rick Howe Show. Dean blamed his dismissal from the party on a former executive that had deviated, in Dean's words, from the party's original "big ideas". He also touted the party's "highest polling numbers ever" in the 2017 election; the only general election that the party has ever run in. Mr. Howe correctly noted that the party finished in last place in all fifteen electoral districts in which it ran in that election. When questioned about his appointment as leader, Dean falsely affirmed that he was "elected" by a "unanimous party vote", offering no evidence to substantiate this unfounded claim.[19]

The party did not win any seats in the 2021 provincial election.[20]

On April 17, 2023, Kyle Woodbury, a former election readiness staffer for the Conservative Party of Canada was named as the new party leader.[21] The move was announced on July 4, 2023.[22] [23]

On April 30, 2024, the party was voluntarily deregistered.[24] The party cited a shortage of volunteers as the reason for the deregistration.[25]

Party leaders

Election results

ElectionLeaderCandidatesVotes%SeatsPlaceParliamentary position
2017Jonathan Dean1,6320.4 5th
20211,0230.2 5th

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Atlantica Party says it offers alternative to 'same old, same old' in N.S. politics. Cbc.ca. 19 December 2021.
  2. Web site: Platform, Policies, and Principles. Atlantica Party. 2021. August 3, 2021.
  3. Web site: Atlantica Party offers new voice to N.S. voters . . 11 March 2010 . 30 September 2023.
  4. Web site: McKie . Bronwen . Atlantica Party: Nova Scotia’s fifth registered political party . The Signal Halifax . . 8 December 2016 . 30 September 2023.
  5. Web site: Registration of The Atlantica Party Association of Nova Scotia Approved . Elections Nova Scotia . 8 March 2010 . 6 July 2023.
  6. Web site: The Atlantica Party Association of Nova Scotia Deregistered . Elections Nova Scotia . 5 June 2012 . 6 July 2023.
  7. Web site: Chief Electoral Officer approves registration of Atlantic Party Association. Elections Nova Scotia. June 28, 2016. July 4, 2016.
  8. Web site: September 21, 2017. Statement of Votes & Statistics: Volume I. November 20, 2020. Elections Nova Scotia.
  9. Web site: Official Release from the Atlantica Party of Nova Scotia Executive. Atlantica Party Association of Nova Scotia. January 7, 2018. January 11, 2018. September 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200923095136/https://www.atlanticaparty.ca/official_release_01_07_2018. dead.
  10. Web site: New Interim Leader Appointed. Atlantica Party Association of Nova Scotia. January 16, 2018. January 17, 2018. September 23, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200923093853/https://www.atlanticaparty.ca/new_interim_leader_appointed. dead.
  11. Web site: June 20, 2018. Atlantica Party Association of Nova Scotia suspended. June 14, 2019. Elections Nova Scotia.
  12. Web site: July 31, 2018. Notice of Compliance Agreement – Jonathan Dean. July 4, 2019. Elections Nova Scotia. July 8, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190708134223/https://electionsnovascotia.ca/node/621. dead.
  13. Web site: August 7, 2018. Notice of Compliance Agreement – Atlantica Party Association of Nova Scotia. July 4, 2019. Elections Nova Scotia. July 8, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190708134233/https://electionsnovascotia.ca/node/622. dead.
  14. Web site: August 16, 2018. Suspension lifted for Atlantica Party Association of Nova Scotia. July 4, 2019. Elections Nova Scotia. July 8, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190708134255/https://electionsnovascotia.ca/node/623. dead.
  15. Web site: July 10, 2020. Report of the Chief Electoral Officer on the Proceedings of By-Elections in 2019: Sackville-Cobequid/June 18 Argyle-Barrington, Northside-Westmount, and Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg/September 3. Statement of Votes, Financial Information. November 20, 2020. Elections Nova Scotia.
  16. Web site: Statement of Official Results. November 20, 2020. Elections Nova Scotia.
  17. Web site: August 31, 2020. The road goes on forever, and the Party never ends. September 28, 2020. Halifax Examiner.
  18. Web site: November 20, 2020. Jonathan Dean Returns as Leader of NS Atlantica Party. November 20, 2020. Atlantica Party.
  19. Web site: November 28, 2020. The Rick Howe Show – Friday, November 27, 2020. November 28, 2020. Rogers Media.
  20. Web site: Nova Scotia's 3 major parties say 2021 is a momentous year for diversity on their tickets. Cbc.ca. 19 December 2021.
  21. Web site: Smyth . Ryan . New Leader and Executive Join Atlantica . Atlantica Party . 17 April 2023 . 30 September 2023.
  22. Web site: Gorman . Michael . Atlantica Party announces new leader . CBC . 4 July 2023 . 6 July 2023.
  23. Web site: Smyth . Ryan . New Atlantica Leader Interview . Atlantica Party . 4 July 2023 . 6 July 2023.
  24. Web site: Atlantica Party Association of Nova Scotia Deregistration . . 1 May 2024 . 1 May 2024.
  25. Web site: Rickard . Kelli . Atlantica Party ending . . . 15 March 2024 . 17 March 2024.