The Canadian Future Party calls itself a central option for voters
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A new party has entered Canadian federal politics.
The Canadian Future Party (CFP) officially launched on Aug. 14, marketing itself as a central alternative to the Liberals and Conservatives.
“Canadians have been asked to play a political shell game,” Dominic Cardy, the party’s interim leader, a current independent New Brunswick MLA, a former education minister under Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs, and a former leader of the New Brunswick NDP, told reporters in Ottawa.
When Canadians choose Liberals, they receive increased government spending with little to show for it.
And when Canadians vote Conservative, there’s a promise of fiscal responsibility paired with “a mean-spirited approach that blames the most vulnerable for their plight,” Cardy said.
The Canadian Future Party isn’t about the political left or right, it’s about moving Canada forward, the party’s webpage says.
Tara McPhail, a former activist with the Conservative Party, is the CFP’s interim president.
Her involvement in the party stems from feeling politically stranded.
“I did not see myself reflected in any of the existing political parties,” she told reporters in Ottawa. “We have a fiscally incompetent government, and an opposition who responds to that with policies by rhyme and a boat load of snark.”
The party’s interim policy framework focuses on five topics: personal freedoms, open government, responsible spending, and being stronger at home and abroad.
A section of ag is mentioned in the responsible spending section.
“A new party would deliver a report on federal corporate subsidies – including the supply management system – and their impact measured against promised outcomes,” the party’s website says. “If returns on investment cannot be measured, government money should not be spent.”
The party does have some ag representation in its leadership.
Bruce Lamb, a cash crop farmer from London, Ont., is part of the CFP’s national council.
He’s been involved in politics at all three levels of government, including with provincial and federal Conservative parties over the span of 30 years.
He’s supporting the CFP because the federal Conservatives no longer align with his values, he said.
“The Conservative Party is going too far to the right socially,” he told Farms.com. “I’m socially liberal and fiscally conservative. I can’t support the Trudeau government because they’re not fiscally responsible, and therefore as someone who is politically active, I found myself lost.”
The Canadian Future Party will have candidates in two upcoming by-elections.
Mark Khoury, an entrepreneur, is running in the Quebec riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun.
And Zbig Strycharzy, who develops training tools and internal interpretations of income tax law, is running in the Elmwood—Transcona byelection in Manitoba.
Lamb encourages Canadians to give the new party a chance.
“It’s not going to be a party for everybody, but if you feel like none of the existing parties are answering the questions that need to be answered, I think (the Canadian Future Party) is an excellent choice.”