Strength in Democracy

Strength in Democracy[3] (French: Forces et Démocratie, French pronunciation: ​[fɔʁs e demɔkʁasi]) was a Canadian federal political party founded in 2014 by two Quebec Members of Parliament (MPs). From October 2014 to October 2015, the party was represented in the House of Commons of Canada by its two founding members, Jean-François Fortin and Jean-François Larose. The party was led from its inception by Fortin.

Strength in Democracy

Forces et Démocratie
FoundedOctober 21, 2014 (October 21, 2014)
DissolvedSeptember 9, 2016 (2016-09-09)
Split fromBloc Québécois and
New Democratic Party
HeadquartersMatane, Quebec
IdeologySocial democracy
Regionalism
Quebec nationalism
Participatory democracy
Political positionCentre-left[1][2]
ColoursGreen, White, Blue
Website
forcesetdemocratie.org

The party failed to win a seat in the 2015 federal election, and both its sitting MPs were defeated.[4] Fortin announced his resignation as leader on January 3, 2016.[5] The party was deregistered by Elections Canada on September 9, 2016.[6]

History

The Strength in Democracy party was formed on October 21, 2014, by Jean-François Fortin, a member of the Bloc Québécois, and Repentigny MP Jean-François Larose, a member of the New Democratic Party. The two MPs stated that the four major federal parties in Quebec (the Conservatives, New Democratic Party (NDP), Liberals, and Bloc Québécois) were focused on power and politics over representing their constituents.[7][8]

Fortin, who had run for the leadership of the Bloc Québécois (BQ) in 2011, had left the BQ in August 2014 to sit as an independent MP citing disapproval of new BQ leader Mario Beaulieu.[9]

The party announced that it would run candidates outside of Quebec in the 2015 federal election under the name "Strength in Democracy", and its first candidate, Toban Leckie, was announced in Peterborough—Kawartha.[3] Jennifer McCreath, who ran for the party in Avalon, was the first transgender candidate in a federal election.[10]

Independent MP Manon Perreault, who had been expelled from the New Democratic Party after being convicted for mischief, was announced on August 12, 2015, as the Strength in Democracy candidate in Montcalm where she sought re-election.[11]

References
  1. Mas, Susana (28 August 2015). "Strength in Democracy party taps into voter dissatisfaction with main parties". CBC News. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  2. "Un nouveau parti fédéral est né : Forces et Démocratie". Ici Radio-Canada, October 21, 2014.
  3. "Press release: Strength in Democracy/Forces et Démocratie announce first Ontario candidate, in the district of Peterborough-Kawartha". June 26, 2015. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  4. Globe and Mail election coverage
  5. "Jean-François Fortin quitte la vie politique". La Presse. January 3, 2016.
  6. Grenier, Éric (September 9, 2016). "Regional start-up party Strength in Democracy deregistered by Elections Canada". CBC News. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  7. "Jean-François Fortin fonde un nouveau parti à Ottawa". Radio-Canada. October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  8. Bellavance, Joël-Denis (October 21, 2014). "L'ex-bloquiste Jean-François Fortin fonde son parti". La Presse. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  9. "Jean-Francois Fortin quits Bloc, says party no longer exists under new leader". CBC News. August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  10. "Jennifer McCreath running for federal election in Avalon". CBC News, July 27, 2015.
  11. "Forces et Démocratie adds ousted NDP MP Perreault to election roster". iPolitics. August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
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