Free Party Canada (French: Parti Libre Canada) is a minor federal political party in Canada. It is led by Michel Leclerc, advocates for direct democracy and lower taxes, and promotes vaccine hesitancy.
Free Party Canada Parti Libre Canada | |
---|---|
Leader | Michel Leclerc |
Registered | 2016 September 30, 2020 (federal) | (provincial)
Headquarters | 27A Hochar Avenue Saint-Sauveur, Quebec J0R 1R4[1] |
Ideology | Direct democracy Vaccine hesitancy |
Colours | Gold |
Website | |
partilibrecanada | |
In 2016, the party registered provincially in Quebec as Parti libre Saint-Sauveur ("Free Party Saint-Sauveur") and ran in local elections in Saint-Sauveur, as well as in the 2017 by-election for Gouin.[2][3][4][5] Its eight candidates in the 2018 Quebec general election received a total of 1,618 votes.[6] Registered federally on September 30, 2020,[7] its first federal campaign was for the 2020 Toronto Centre federal by-election.[8]
The party ran 59 candidates in the 2021 Canadian federal election, most of them in Quebec or in Francophone areas of New Brunswick and Ontario,[9] garnering over 47,000 votes.[10] Its platform attracted notice for its opposition to mandated COVID vaccination[11][12][13][14][15][16] and vaccination passports,[17] and some candidates had been active in organising events opposed to the pandemic health measures.[18][19] The party also called for the introduction of a direct democracy and lower taxes.[20][21][22][23] Other candidates raised issues of housing affordability, transport and local accountability to electors.[9][24][25] Party leader Michel Leclerc ran in Laurentides—Labelle, where he had been an independent candidate in the 2019 Canadian federal election.[26] In an interview with a TVA comedian at an anti-vaccination rally, Leclerc claimed that viruses were humans, that vaccinations decreased life expectancy, and (claiming to be trained as an astronaut) denied the Moon landing.[27]
Election | Leader | Candidates | Votes | % | Seats won | +/− | Rank | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Michel Leclerc | 59 / 338
|
47,254 | 0.28% | 0 / 338
|
7th | No seats |
Election | Leader | Candidates | Votes | % | Seats won | +/− | Rank | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Michel Leclerc | 8 / 125
|
1,678 | 0.04% | 0 / 125
|
12th | No seats |
Election | Leader | Candidates | Votes[28] (Mayor) |
% | Seats won | +/− | Rank | Outcome |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Michel Leclerc | 7 / 7
|
88 | 2.39% | 0 / 7
|
4th | No seats | |
2021 | Michel Leclerc | 5 / 7
|
36 | 0.95% | 0 / 7
|
4th | No seats |