The Ontario Party was founded in May 2018, during the 2018 Ontario general election, by members of the Ontario Alliance leadership who left that party, claiming that the CFO and president of the Alliance were not complying with the constitution of the party or the decisions made by the board of directors.[11]
Jay Tysick, the party's first leader, is a former member of the Progressive Conservatives and chief of staff for Ottawa City CouncillorRick Chiarelli. Tysick indicated to media that he was driven to organize a new party after being prevented from running for the PC nomination in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton.[12][13] Tysick had been disqualified from standing as a candidate for the Progressive Conservatives due to his socially conservative views.
In 2021, the party selected Joel Shepheard as its leader and Raphael Rosch as its president. Shepheard was replaced in December by former Member of ParliamentDerek Sloan.[14] Later that month, Chatham-Kent—Leamington MPP Rick Nicholls joined the party to become its first sitting member in the Legislative Assembly.[15]
The party failed to win any seats in the 2022 Ontario general election.[16] Sloan cited the newness of the party for the results and announced he would stay on as leader.[17]
The Ontario Party was de-registered on February 17, 2023.[18]
On January 28, 2024, Sloan requested to reserve the party name with Elections Ontario,[19] and on April 10, 2024, the party was officially re-registered.[9]
Ideology and principles
The Ontario Party is a conservative, right-wing populist party which has been noted for attracting some right-wing Christian group members, anti-vaccination advocates, and organizers of the 2022 Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa.[20][21] After the election of Derek Sloan as leader, media and experts began styling the party as "right-wing" to "far-right" in its ideology.[4][5]
The Ontario Party espouses right-wing and socially-conservative opinions on social issues.[22] The party has raised opposition to the complex sociological theory known as Critical Race Theory, opposing its teaching in Ontario schools.[21][23] The party supports a role for private education through a voucher system.[24] As party leader, Sloan has emphasized an opposition to what he calls "gender ideology", namely standing in opposition to transgender rights, a position he has maintained since prior to his appointment as leader.[25][26][27] The party opposes reforms to the province's sex education curriculum and, in 2021, announced they would be collaborating with Queenie Yu, the founder and leader of the socially-conservative Stop the New Sex-Ed Agenda Party.[28] The party has espoused conspiratorial views, particularly around the World Economic Forum, which the party claims is advancing a "digital ID" program, and which party leader Sloan said is trying to place "microchips in our bodies and in our heads".[29][30][31]
As of the 2022 Ontario election, the Ontario Party has emphasized an opposition to COVID-19 public health measures, with party leader Sloan expressing opposition to "authoritarian, unconstitutional lockdowns and mandates".[32]
^Baldwin, Derek. "Sloan takes another run at politics helming new Ontario Party". The Intelligencer. Retrieved May 4, 2022. ... the Ontario Party said Sloan's 'refusal to go along with the "Liberal Lite" direction of the CPC under Erin O'Toole saw him turfed from caucus, but he distinguished himself as an independent by continuing to stand for freedom and for truly conservative positions in everything from opposing legislation promoting radical gender ideology, to amassing a collection of citations for speaking at anti-lockdown freedom rallies.'
^Baldwin, Derek (March 28, 2022). "Sloan takes another run at politics helming new Ontario Party". The Intelligencer (Belleville). Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. ... he distinguished himself as an independent by continuing to stand for freedom and for truly conservative positions in everything from opposing legislation promoting radical gender ideology, to amassing a collection of citations for speaking at anti-lockdown freedom rallies.
^Coyne, Andrew (May 26, 2022). "The paranoid style in Conservative politics has deep roots". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Mr. Poilievre hasn't come right out and said what he thinks the WEF is up to (unlike former Conservative leadership candidate Derek Sloan, now the leader of the Ontario Party, who earlier this month accused the organization's leaders of plotting to put microchips in 'our bodies and our heads').
^Baldwin, Derek (March 28, 2022). "Sloan takes another run at politics helming new Ontario Party". The Intelligencer. Belleville. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Sloan said his new so-called Ontario Party is focused on 'accountability for the authoritarian, unconstitutional lockdowns and mandates imposed by the Ford government, a parents' first approach to education, and the protection of inalienable civil liberties for every citizen'.
