The National Party of Canada was considered a
left-wing nationalist
Left-wing nationalism or leftist nationalism, also known as social nationalism, is a form of nationalism based upon national self-determination, popular sovereignty, national self-interest, and left-wing political positions such as social equali ...
political party that was founded in
Canada in 1979 to promote Canadian independence.
The party's leader,
Robin Mathews, was an active member and cultural critic for
the Waffle
The Waffle (also known as the Movement for an Independent Socialist Canada) was a radical wing of Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It later transformed into an independent political party, with little elect ...
movement in the
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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(NDP).
During the
1980 federal election, held on February 18, 1980, of that year, Mathews ran as the National Party candidate in
Ottawa Centre. He placed fifth in a field of 10 candidates, following the
Liberal,
Progressive Conservative, NDP and
Rhinoceros Party candidates but ahead of three independents:
John Turmel
John C. Turmel (born February 22, 1951) is a perennial candidate for election in Canada, and according to the ''Guinness World Records'' holds the records for the most elections contested and for the most elections lost, having contested 105 el ...
, a
Communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
, and a
Marxist–Leninist
Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialect ...
.) Mathews collected 171 votes, or 0.39% of the total.
Don Hayward was the party's candidate in the
Toronto riding of
Broadview—Greenwood. He received 53 votes (0.17%), finishing seventh against
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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candidate
Bob Rae
Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...
. A 33-year-old factory worker, he expressed concern about American dominance of Canadian industry.
[Bill Dampier, "Broadview-Greenwood: Inflation, Jobs Major Worries for Residents", ''Toronto Star'', 25 January 1980, A13.]
The party dissolved during the later part of the 1980s.
It should not be confused with the
National Party that nominated candidates in the
1993 election.
See also
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List of political parties in Canada
Footnotes
Federal political parties in Canada
Political parties established in 1979
1979 establishments in Canada
Nationalist parties in Canada
Social democratic parties in Canada
Left-wing nationalist parties
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