List of perennial candidates in Canada explained

A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for public office without a reasonable chance of winning. While there is no generally accepted "number" of times a candidate must run before being considered "perennial", contemporary sources note that two or three failed candidacies, followed by another attempt, qualifies a candidate as perennial.[1] [2] [3]

In Canada, perennial candidates may run with the support of small or fringe political parties, may attempt to become involved with mainstream parties without the backing of that party's membership and/or leadership executive, or may run municipally, where the influence of political parties is diminished.[4]

There are few residency requirements for elected office in Canada. Candidates may run federally in any electoral district as long as they are a Canadian citizen over the age of 18 who is not disqualified based on profession (federal judges, provincial and territorial elected representatives, the Chief Electoral Officer, or Governor General), status as an incarcerated person, or after failing to submit a campaign financial return after a previous campaign.[5] There is no requirement for a candidate to reside in the electoral district where they seek election.[6] Provincial and municipal elections rules generally require a candidate reside within the jurisdiction broadly, but do not require a candidate to reside in the direct electoral district in which they seek elected office.

These lax rules allow perennial candidates to seek elected office across Canada. John Turmel, the Canadian perennial candidate who, according to Guinness World Records holds the records for the most elections contested and for the most elections lost, has sought the offices of Mayor, Member of Provincial Parliament, and Member of Parliament in 71 different jurisdictions across Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia, since 1979.[7]

List of Perennial Candidates in Canada

CandidatePrimary place of residenceNotable Partisan AffiliationMunicipal campaignsProvincial campaignsFederal campaignsIncomplete campaigns Total
MunicipalityProvinceTotal complete campaignsOverall total
Enza "Supermodel" AndersonTorontoOntarioCanadian Alliance3--134
Donald Clarke AndrewsTorontoOntarioNationalist Party of Canada10---1010
Michael BaldasaroHamiltonOntarioMarijuana Party of Canada915 21517
Harry BradleyTorontoOntarioIndependent27---2727
José BretonQuebec CityQuebecIndependent-5--55
David W. BylsmaWest LincolnOntarioChristian Heritage207-99
Douglas CampbellTorontoOntarioOntario New Democratic Party622-1010
Kevin ClarkeTorontoOntarioThe Peoples Political Party11106-2727
Ross DowsonTorontoOntarioLeague for Socialist Action9-2-1111
Terry DuguidWinnipegManitobaLiberal316-1010
Jim EnosHamiltonOntarioChristian Heritage144-99
Paul FrommHamiltonOntarioCanadians' Choice Party822-1212
Henri-Georges GrenierMontrealQuebecvarious--13-1313
Larry HeatherCalgaryAlbertaChristian Heritage6813-2727
Ben KerrTorontoOntarioIndependent7---77
Yaqoob KhanTorontoOntarioIndependent7-1-88
Simonne LizotteNicoletQuebecIndependent42--66
Anne C. McBrideTorontoOntarioIndependent5-9-1414
Patricia MétivierMontrealQuebecvarious75812425
Régent MilletteLavalQuebecParti démocratie chrétienne415712627
David PopescuSudburyOntarioIndependent776-2020
Naomi RankinEdmontonAlbertaCommunist-910-1919
Bob SmithTorontoOntarioNationalist Party of Canada811 -1010
John TurmelBrantfordOntarioPauper1449451108109
Alex TyrrellMontrealQuebecParti Vert-10-11011
Don WoodstockWinnipegManitobaLiberal23166
Nathalie Xian Yi YanHamiltonOntarioIndependent4222810

Perennial Candidates by region

Quebec

Alex Tyrrell

LevelElectionOfficePartyVotesPercentPlaceResultNotes
Provincial2012Member of the National Assembly for Jacques-CartierGreen Party of Quebec1,5224.54%3/8
Provincial2013 By-electionMember of the National Assembly for OutremontGreen Party of Quebec3843.79%4/7
Provincial2014Member of the National Assembly for Notre-Dame-de-GrâceGreen Party of Quebec1,3184.52%5/6
Provincial2016 By-electionMember of the National Assembly for ChicoutimiGreen Party of Quebec4652.46%5/6
ProvincialMay 2017 By-electionMember of the National Assembly for GouinGreen Party of Quebec6514.57%5/13
ProvincialOctober 2017 By-electionMember of the National Assembly for Louis-HébertGreen Party of Quebec4872.06%6/10
Provincial2018Member of the National Assembly for VerdunGreen Party of Quebec1,1573.72%5/10
Provincial2018 By-electionMember of the National Assembly for RobervalGreen Party of Quebec800.52%7/7
Provincial2022 By-electionMember of the National Assembly for Marie-VictorinGreen Party of Quebec1420.87%7/12
Federal leadership2022Leader of the Green Party of CanadaGreen Party of Canada---
Provincial2022Member of the National Assembly for Notre-Dame-de-GrâceGreen Party of Quebec9563.73%7/9

Ontario

Enza "Supermodel" Anderson

LevelElectionOfficePartyVotesPercentPlaceResultNotes
Municipal2000Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal13,5952.25%3/26
Federal Leadership2002Leader, Canadian AllianceCanadian Alliancen/an/an/a
Municipal2003Toronto City Councillor, Ward 27 – Toronto CentreNon-partisan municipal3,05815.3%2/6
Municipal2010Toronto City Councillor, Ward 27 – Toronto CentreNon-partisan municipal1,1274.23%7/15

Don Andrews

Donald Clarke Andrews (born Vilim Zlomislić) was the leader of the Nationalist Party of Canada, a white-supremacist unregistered political party active from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Andrews best result came in 1976, when he earned 5.3% of the vote for mayor of Toronto in a race against popular incumbent David Crombie. Andrews would often only contest those elections where he would be placed at the top of the ballot by virtue of his last name's alphabetical importance.

LevelElectionOfficePartyVotesPercentPlaceResultNotes
Municipal1972Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal1,9601.02%5/7
Municipal1974Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal5,6624%2/11
Municipal1976Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal7,1265.3%2/10
Municipal1988Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal5,6904%4/9
Municipal1991Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal1,9681.01%4/9
Municipal1994Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal2,8391.74%5/11
Municipal1997Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal1,9850.26%5/11
Municipal2003Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal1,2200.18%10/44
Municipal2010Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal1,0320.13%19/40
Municipal2014Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal1,0120.1%7/65

Michael Baldasaro

LevelElectionOfficePartyVotesPercentPlaceResultNotes
Federal1984Member of Parliament, Hamilton WestLibertarian3000.73%4/6
Municipal1988Hamilton MayorNon-partisan municipal7,5289.12%2/2
Municipal1991Hamilton MayorNon-partisan municipal2,5072.8%4/4
Municipal1994Hamilton MayorNon-partisan municipal3,5214.4%3/5
Federal Leadership1998Leader, Progressive Conservative PartyProgressive Conservative Partyn/an/an/a
Federal Leadership2000Leader, Canadian AllianceCanadian Alliancen/an/an/a
Municipal2000Hamilton MayorNon-partisan municipal1,6371.1%5/12
Federal2000Member of Parliament, Hamilton EastMarijuana Party5731.83%5/9
Municipal2003Hamilton MayorNon-partisan municipal2,5691.85%6/7
Federal2004Member of Parliament, Hamilton CentreIndependent345.8%6/7
Municipal2004 By-electionHamilton City Councillor, Ward 2 – DowntownNon-partisan municipal521.03%7/11
Municipal2006Hamilton MayorNon-partisan municipal4,5203.61%4/7
Municipal2010Hamilton MayorNon-partisan municipal2,8922.1%4/15
Federal2011Member of Parliament, Hamilton CentreMarijuana Party7801.9%4/5
Provincial2011Member of Provincial Parliament, Hamilton CentreIndependent268.8%6/10
Municipal2014Hamilton MayorNon-partisan municipal3,5182.9%4/12
Federal2015Member of Parliament, Hamilton CentreMarijuana Party3480.85%5/7

Douglas Campbell

Douglas Campbell was a teacher and writer from Toronto, Ontario. In 1962, Campbell ran an independent campaign for Parliament in the electoral district of St Paul's, running against future Governor General Roland Michener. Campbell launched three NDP leadership campaigns in the 1970s; he twice sought the position of Ontario NDP leader in the 1970 leadership election and also 1972 when he challenged incumbent Stephen Lewis. He also challenged David Lewis for the federal NDP leadership in 1973 and ran to replace Lewis in the 1975 New Democratic Party leadership election.

In 1988, Campbell ran against North York's incumbent mayor, Mel Lastman. A profile in the Toronto Star listed Campbell's age as 59 and residence as Gulliver Road in Toronto, as well as referencing a past campaign for the office of Mayor of Mississauga. He told the Star his campaign was an attempt to find a larger platform so he could campaign on issues such as "sanctions against South Africa, free trade and the Meech Lake Accord."[8]

During Campbell's campaign for mayor of Toronto in 2003, he generated media attention when he invited the audience at an all-candidates meeting to his wife's memorial service.[9] Campbell, whose age was listed as 72 during the Toronto mayoral campaign in 2006, was attacked in a National Post editorial for a statement all-candidates meeting where the candidate said voting for a capitalist mayor was like "voting to kill your fellow workers," and comparing Stephen Harper, Paul Martin, and Franklin D. Roosevelt to Adolf Hitler.[10] He was quoted in Now Magazine as also saying "If you vote for a capitalist candidate, you're voting to kill children."[11]

LevelElectionOfficePartyVotesPercentPlaceResultNotes
Federal1962Member of Parliament, St. Paul'sIndependent3281.2%5/5
Provincial1970Leader of the Ontario New Democratic PartyOntario New Democratic Party211.1%3/3
Provincial1972Leader of the Ontario New Democratic PartyOntario New Democratic Party12414.1%2/2
Federal1973Leader of the New Democratic PartyNew Democratic Party769.6%2/2
Municipal1973Mississauga MayorNon-partisan municipal[12]
Federal1975Leader of the New Democratic PartyNew Democratic Party110.7%5/5
Municipal1988North York MayorNon-partisan municipal10,2908.26%3/4
Municipal2000Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal8,5911.42%4/26
Municipal2003Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal2,1970.32%6/44
Municipal2006Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal4,1830.72%6/38
Municipal2010Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal1,4280.18%13/40

Bob Smith

Bob Smith (born Robert Wayne Smith) ran for federal, provincial, and municipal office 10 times from 1972 to 2006. His best result came in 1980 when he earned 1,319 votes in a race for school trustee in Toronto's Ward 8.

LevelElectionOfficePartyVotesPercentPlaceResultNotes
Municipal1972Toronto Board of Education Trustee, Ward 8 - RiverdaleNon-partisan municipal24711/11
Municipal1974Toronto City Councillor, Ward 4 - Trinity-Bellwoods and Little ItalyNon-partisan municipal2007/7
Municipal1976Toronto Board of Education Trustee, Ward 9 - The BeachesNon-partisan municipal8646/7
Federal1980Member of Parliament, St. Paul'sNationalist Party 1080.3%6/9
Municipal1980Toronto Board of Education Trustee, Ward 8 - RiverdaleNon-partisan municipal1,3196/9
Municipal1982Toronto Board of Education Trustee, Ward 8 - RiverdaleNon-partisan municipal6036/10
Municipal1985Toronto Board of Education Trustee, Ward 8 - RiverdaleNon-partisan municipal9355/7
Provincial1993 By-electionMember of Provincial Parliament, St. George—St. David728/9
Municipal2003Toronto City Councillor, Ward 31 - The BeachesNon-partisan municipal4142.5%4/4
Municipal2006Toronto MayorNon-partisan municipal1,1050.19%20/38

British Columbia

Notes and References

  1. News: Weeks. Linton. September 23, 2011. Also-Rans: What Drives The Perennial Candidates?. NPR. August 28, 2021. For the purposes of this story, we are defining the perennial presidential candidate as someone who runs for — and loses — the race to the White House at least twice. And then runs again..
  2. News: May 28, 2021. Iran's presidential election: Who the candidates are. BBC News. August 28, 2021. [Mohsen Rezai] has stood three times as president, and never held public office, having also failed in a bid to be elected to parliament in 2000. He is commonly referred to as a "perennial candidate"..
  3. News: Samuels. Alex. Radcliffe. Mary. June 9, 2021. Most Candidates Take The Hint After Two Losses. Why Won't Beto O'Rourke and Charlie Crist?. FiveThirtyEight. August 28, 2021. ...both O’Rourke and Crist are risking their political credibility if they run again and lose, as they’ve already failed to win two consecutive runs for office. Even worse, they could be marked as perennial candidates..
  4. News: Canada election 2015: Perennial candidates make running and losing a full-time job . Chris . Brown . 29 September 2015 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20190117001856/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/canada-election-2015-perennial-candidates-1.3247843l . 17 January 2019 . live.
  5. Parliament of Canada . June 22, 2023 . Canada Elections Act (S.C. 2000, c. 9) . Justice Laws Website . 10 March 2024 . 65 The following persons are not eligible to be a candidate:.
  6. Web site: How to Become a Candidate . 31 October 2023 . elections.ca . Elections Canada . 10 March 2024 . Note: You may only seek election in a single electoral district at a time, but you do not need to reside in that district..
  7. News: 'No regrets': world's biggest election loser runs for 96th time in Canada . Ashifa . Kassam . 23 September 2018 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20180924121124/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/23/no-regrets-worlds-biggest-election-loser-runs-for-96th-time-in-canada . 24 September 2018 . live.
  8. News: Housing high priority for mayoral candidates . Royson . James . 25 October 1988 . Toronto Star.
  9. News: It's more fun on the fringe, candidates prove . Catherine . Porter . 23 October 2003 . Toronto Star.
  10. News: Toronto voters deserve better . 6 October 2006 . National Post.
  11. Web site: NOW Magazine - Newsfront in Toronto, OCTOBER 12 - 18, 2006 . 16 April 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929124041/http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2006-10-12/news_feature.php . 29 September 2007 . dead. mdy-all .
  12. News: Half a century later, 1973 election upset still astounds . John . Stewart . 2 March 2024 . Mississauga News . https://web.archive.org/web/20240311013951/https://www.mississauga.com/opinion/columnists/half-a-century-later-1973-election-upset-still-astounds/article_2d6aaaff-538c-5da2-b45d-95902d9c930f.html . 11 March 2024 . live.

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