| The Peoples Political Party | |
| Leader: | Troy Young |
| President: | Kevin Clarke |
| Leader1 Title: | Deputy Leader |
| Leader1 Name: | Karen Lee Wilde |
| Leader2 Title: | Founder |
| Leader2 Name: | Kevin Clarke |
| Dissolution: | 2023 |
| Headquarters: | 907-4301 Kingston Rd, Scarborough, Ontario, M1E 2N1 |
| Colours: | Dark Cyan |
| Seats1 Title: | Seats in Legislature |
| Country: | Canada |
| State: | Ontario |
The Peoples Political Party, abbreviated as The People, is a former minor political party in the Canadian province of Ontario founded in 2011 by perennial candidate Kevin Clarke. It was de-registered in early 2023.[1] [2]
The party accuses the three major parties of having economic policies that benefit themselves and an elite minority rather than the province as a whole. The main goal of the party is to ensure that "the day to day needs of all in this city and province" are accommodated.[3] The party suggests that it "will focus on the service of government with people-oriented processes, supporting the needs of humanity",[4] and it supports youth initiatives and employment in addition to increased investment in culture, including the arts, sports, and tourism.
In 2021, there were attempts by the federal People's Party of Canada (PPC) to register the name "People's Party of Ontario" with Elections Ontario. The elections agency rejected the name five times due to its similarity to the existing Peoples Political Party. In March 2021, the PPC and Clarke discussed Clarke relinquishing his rights to the name in exchange for running under the PPC banner. The discussions, while initially productive, later broke down after Clarke posted about the matter on social media and added other people to his email conversations with the PPC, with the PPC asking for the posts to be deleted, and Clarke questioning the motives of the PPC, saying "Hold it, you're supposed to be the People’s Party, and you want to keep things away from the people?" in an interview with the Toronto Star.[5]
The party failed to win any seats in the 2022 Ontario general election.
| + Election results by year | Election | Leader | Seats contested | Seats won | +/- | Votes | % | Rank | Status/Gov. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Kevin Clarke | 386 | <0.01% | 15th | |||||
| 2014 | 894 | 0.02% | 12th | ||||||
| 2018 | 628 | 0.01% | 19th |
In the 2011 Ontario general election, the Peoples Political Party nominated four candidates for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:[4]
| + 2011 Ontario general election | |||||
| Riding | Candidate's Name | Notes | Votes | % | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Centre | Phil Sarazen | 29 | 0.06% | 10/10 | |
| Niagara West—Glanbrook | Marty Poos | 158 | 0.32% | 7/9 | |
| Parkdale—High Park | Thomas Zaugg | 55 | 0.14% | 9/10 | |
| Toronto—Danforth | Kevin Clarke | Party Leader | 143 | 0.38% | 6/9 |
The party nominated candidates in the 6 September 2012 by-elections in Vaughan and Kitchener—Waterloo for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
| + 2012 Ontario by-elections | |||||
| Riding | Candidate's name | Notes | Votes | % | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaughan | Phil Sarazen | 77 | 0.24 | 9/9 | |
| Kitchener—Waterloo | Kevin Clarke | 48 | 0.1 | 9/10 | |
The party nominated candidates in the 13 February 2014 by-elections in Niagara Falls and Thornhill for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.[6]
| + 2014 Ontario by-elections | |||||
| Riding | Candidate's name | Notes | Votes | % | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara Falls | Troy Young | 107 | 0.29 | 7/8 | |
| Thornhill | Kevin Clarke | 144 | 0.52 | 7/8 | |
The Peoples Political Party nominated several candidates in the 2018 Ontario general election for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
| + 2018 Ontario general election | |||||
| Riding | Candidate's name | Notes | Votes | % | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarborough—Guildwood | Heather Dunbar | 150 | 0.42 | 8/9 | |
| Beaches—East York | Tony Chipman | 58 | 0.12 | 11/11 | |
| Davenport | Troy J. Young | 96 | 0.21 | 8/9 | |
| Niagara Centre | Dario Smagata-Bryan | 133 | 0.27 | 8/8 | |
| Scarborough—Agincourt | Badih (Bill) Rawdah | 92 | 0.25 | 9/9 | |
| Toronto Centre | Kevin Clarke | 97 | 0.22 | 9/10 | |