A Political Party with a Difference

The Trillium party of Ontario would let their MPPs vote according to their Riding needs even if that meant they voted against each other.  They are adamant that they would not have a party whip whose job it is to direct MPPs how to vote.  That’s what Bob Yaciuk, Party President, their lone MPP Jack MacLaren and Northumberland Peterborough-South Trillium candidate Derek Sharp all said at a meeting tonight.  The meeting was in Gilligan’s Pub in Colborne where Derek Sharp lives.  At the meeting, it was announced that they now have a Riding Association so can organize volunteers and accept donations.  They are a new force in Ontario; their MPP, Jack MacLaren, quit the PCs last May because he was unhappy always voting the party line.  He had been elected as a Progressive Conservative twice and is a great believer in understanding what his constituents want but he found that it’s not always what the Party wants.  Since then he has voted independently on 6 bills.

l-r: Bob Yaciuk; Derek Sharp; Jack MacLaren
l-r: Bob Yaciuk; Derek Sharp; Jack MacLaren

So far, there are 31 Trillium candidates for the 107 Provincial seats – even if they don’t get elected, they are already having an effect since the PC’s are stealing their policies – e.g. against a Carbon Tax.  There are already a few thousand party members who like the guiding principle of freedom – that is, freedom of speech and freedom to vote independently of party policies.

The Party was founded by Trillium president Bob Yaciuk when someone said to him “Don’t just complain – do something about it” so he did.  They ran a few candidates in the last election but got few votes.  However, as well as the defection of Jack MacLaren, their momentum was helped in early January when 600 members and 24 directors of the PC Party Riding Association in King-Vaughan “crossed the floor” and joined the Trillium Party. 

Their list of policies is short but very current:

  • Sex Education – listen to parents –  the current curriculum challenges the rights of parents
  • Encourage young people to pursue careers in skilled trades
  • The Trillium party will not support a Carbon tax
  • The Trillium party will end the Green Energy act and lower the cost of electricity
  • Encourage and support “stay-at-home-moms” who provide day care
  • Use money now spent on Corporate welfare to help the developmentally disabled, the mentally ill and struggling seniors.
  • Support small business by reducing regulations and stopping the $15/hr minimum wage.
  • Because of the way omnibus bills group unrelated issues together, the Trillium party would be against them.

Bob Yaciuk said that they are neither left nor right-wing – instead they use common-sense.

Derek said that he was originally an NDP member but lost interest in Politics until he heard about Jack MacLaren’s action. Now that there is a Riding association, he will kick off an ambitious fundraising campaign on Saturday with the goal of raising $50,000.

Bob is confident that they will do well in the coming election because it’s a perfect storm:  The Liberal party is in trouble and the PC party has collapsed.

You can get more information about Derek Sharp at his web site (link below), the Party web site and the Riding association’s facebook page.  There is also a page on Cobourg Internet that groups information for all candidates.

Links

 

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Bill Thompson
6 years ago

With the disaster that Ontario/Canada has become under the “anything but Conservative” Liberal party faithful ,it would surely be
worth a try to break the mould (mold) that is so entrenched.
An elected political party can also not be re-elected at all levels of government.
Canada, Ontario and Cobourg could do well by at least giving it a try, or just remain as the same old same old network.

CiW
6 years ago

I sense a bit of double-talk, cornbread.

cornbread
Reply to  CiW
6 years ago

I guess the “system” stuttered.

CiW
6 years ago

After reading their list of policies I can assure you that they will NOT get my vote. They sound like a bunch of backward-looking bozos.

Reply to  CiW
6 years ago

The thing to remember is that our policies have come to us from THE PEOPLE, always. We are not a “top down” party. With no whipped voting, the policies you see on our website are just what we have had dictated to us so far by the people of Ontario as a whole, but it will always be the people of Northumberland-Peterborough South who tell me how to vote on any specific piece of legislation, not the party.

Perhaps you could be a little more specific in which policies are of concern to you, and open up some discussion? The Trillium Party is ALWAYS about democracy, which includes open discussion and discourse.

cornbread
6 years ago

If the Trillium Party “sticks to its guns” they will get my vote.

cornbread
6 years ago

If the Trillium Party “sticks to their guns” they will get my vote.