National Party of Canada
Parti National du Canada
(Federal - Defunct)

1993

LEADER: Mel Hurtig.

BRIEF HISTORY: Founded by The Canadian Encyclopedia publisher Mel Hurtig in 1992. The party fielded 171 candidates in 1993, won 189,778 votes (1.4%) but failed to win a single seat. Party in-fighting and lawsuits caused the National Party to cease electoral efforts after 1994, and was formally de-registered as a party by Elections Canada in 1997.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The National Party was created to oppose the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA), an increase in continentalism, and the privatization policies of the Mulroney government. The party's 1993 election emphasized economic nationalism, lowering the value of the Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar to encourage exports, and promoting social responsibility. The party also supported campaign finance reform to prohibit political contributions from corporations so that campaigns would be entirely funded by small, individual contributions.