Natural Law Party candidates, 1997 Canadian federal election
Encyclopedia
The Natural Law Party of Canada
ran several candidates in the 1997 federal election
, none of whom were elected.
in the late 1960s, when he was a student at the University of British Columbia
. He later became a transcendental meditation teacher and served on the board of directors for the Transcendental Movement in Canada. Guest paid tribute to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
upon the latter's death 2008, telling a Toronto Star
reporter that the Maharishi "lived in bliss" and "always said that the underlying nature of life is bliss."
Guest ran for the Natural Law Party in two federal elections and one Quebec provincial election.
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine
Bessette was a perennial candidate
for the Natural Law Party. He listed himself as an architectural technician in the 1997 election.
He first sought election to the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1993 election
, and received 551 votes in Lachine—Lac-Saint-Louis
for a sixth-place finish against Liberal Party
candidate Clifford Lincoln
. He was listed as residing in Pierrefonds
, Montreal
, Quebec
at the time.
Bessette ran as a candidate of the Natural Law Party of Quebec in the 1994 Quebec provincial election
, and received 226 votes in Marguerite-Bourgeoys
for a sixth place finish against Liberal Liza Frulla
.
He later campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
in that province's 1995 provincial election
, and received 263 votes (1.04%) for a sixth-place finish in Windsor—Sandwich
. The winner was Sandra Pupatello
of the Liberal
. A newspaper report from the period lists him as residing in North York, Toronto
, Ontario
(Windsor Star, 26 May 1995).
He received 569 votes in the 1997 election, finishing fifth against Liberal candidate Marlene Jennings
.
Eglinton—Lawrence
Brandon was an office worker with an interest in social methods of stress reduction. She received 397 votes (0.91%), finishing fifth against Liberal
incumbent Joe Volpe
.
Ottawa—Vanier
Bouchard is an author, and has worked with l'Association des auteurs franco-ontariens (Ottawa Citizen, 2 May 1997). He argued that the NLP would bring a "peaceful revolution" to Canada, and spoke in favour of an all-party government with experts from various social fields (Toronto Star, 21 September 1993). During the 1993 campaign, he wrote that he had been a practitioner of transcendental meditation for twenty years (Ottawa Citizen, 21 October 1993).
Parry Sound—Muskoka
Rick Alexander is from Huntsville
and at one time worked as a teacher. He ran for the Natural Law Party in two federal elections and one provincial election.
He was forty-two years old in the 1993 campaign, lived in Ottawa
, and was a project manager for the Heaven on Earth Development Corporation, the centre of the transcendental meditation
movement in Canada. He called for an all-party system of government and said that centralization and inefficient social programs had caused the national deficit.
Sudbury
Roy Hankonen described himself as a supervisor. He received 247 votes (0.62%), finishing sixth against Liberal
incumbent Diane Marleau
.
Larry Decter (Winnipeg South
Decter was born in Winnipeg
, Manitoba. He has a Bachelor of Science
degree from the University of Manitoba
, and also attended Maharishi European Research University (MERU) in Switzerland
. He worked as a researcher and teacher with the transcendental meditation
movement.
Decter campaigned for the Natural Law Party in the 1993 and 1997 Canadian elections. He resided in Huntsville
, Ontario
during the 1993 campaign
, and contested Windsor West
in the same province. During this campaign, he has quoted as asserting, "There is no unemployment in nature; there are no unnecessary atoms in the universe. Everything has a place and a purpose. Yet we human beings, the most highly evolved species on the planet, have somehow lost touch with the unlimited intelligence and organizing power of natural law." (Windsor Star, 22 October 1993) He received 138 votes, finishing sixth against longtime Liberal
incumbent Herb Gray
.
He received 153 votes (0.40%) in 1997, finishing sixth against Liberal Reg Alcock
.
Decter is likely related to Ron Decter, a prominent figure for the Natural Law Party in Manitoba.
He advocated transcendental meditation to resolve tensions in Kosovo
in 1999, claiming that president Joaquim Chissano
of Mozambique
has successfully used the technique to end twenty years of civil war in his country (14 April 1999).
Frank Haika (Calgary West
Haika was 48 years old during the 1997 election. He has a Bachelor of Commerce
degree in Accounting from the University of Calgary
and credentials from the Canadian Securities Institute, and works as an investment adviser.http://www.professionalreferrals.ca/Frank.Haika He has also taught transcendental meditation
(Calgary Herald, 7 October 1993). Haika wrote in support of mandatory labels for genetically modified food in 1996 (CH, 25 November 1996). In 1999, he argued that yogic flyers could bring peace to troubled areas of the world such as Kosovo
(Montreal Gazette, 8 April 1999).
He campaigned for the Natural Law Party in two federal elections, and also ran for the Natural Law Party of Alberta in 1997. He unexpectedly endorsed his opponent, Premier
Ralph Klein, in the 1997 provincial election
and called for Klein to be re-elected as a reward for his success in balancing the provincial budget (CH, 27 February 1997).
Natural Law Party of Canada
The Natural Law Party of Canada was the Canadian branch of the international Natural Law Party founded in 1992 by a group of educators, business leaders, and lawyers who practiced Transcendental Meditation....
ran several candidates in the 1997 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
, none of whom were elected.
LaSalle-Émard: Russell Guest
Russell Guest became involved in transcendental meditationTranscendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation refers to the Transcendental Meditation technique, a specific form of mantra meditation, and to the Transcendental Meditation movement, a spiritual movement...
in the late 1960s, when he was a student at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
. He later became a transcendental meditation teacher and served on the board of directors for the Transcendental Movement in Canada. Guest paid tribute to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , born Mahesh Prasad Varma , developed the Transcendental Meditation technique and was the leader and guru of the TM movement, characterised as a new religious movement and also as non-religious...
upon the latter's death 2008, telling a Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
reporter that the Maharishi "lived in bliss" and "always said that the underlying nature of life is bliss."
Guest ran for the Natural Law Party in two federal elections and one Quebec provincial election.
| Election | Division | Party | Votes | % | Place | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 federal Canadian federal election, 1993 The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time... |
Parry Sound—Muskoka Parry Sound—Muskoka Parry Sound—Muskoka is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1949.... |
Natural Law Natural Law Party of Canada The Natural Law Party of Canada was the Canadian branch of the international Natural Law Party founded in 1992 by a group of educators, business leaders, and lawyers who practiced Transcendental Meditation.... |
263 | 0.57 | 6/8 | Andy Mitchell, Liberal Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative... |
| 1994 provincial Quebec general election, 1994 The Quebec general election of 1994 was held on September 12, 1994, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Parti Québécois, led by Jacques Parizeau, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Daniel Johnson, Jr..... |
Argenteuil Argenteuil (provincial electoral district) Argenteuil is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. It was created in 1853.-Members of Parliament of the Province of Canada:* Sydney Robert Bellingham... |
Natural Law | 224 | 0.62 | 5/5 | Régent Beaudet, Liberal |
| 1997 federal Canadian federal election, 1997 The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government... |
LaSalle-Émard | Natural Law Natural Law Party of Canada The Natural Law Party of Canada was the Canadian branch of the international Natural Law Party founded in 1992 by a group of educators, business leaders, and lawyers who practiced Transcendental Meditation.... |
453 | 0.85 | 5/5 | Paul Martin Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.... , Liberal Party Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative... |
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—LachineNotre-Dame-de-Grâce—LachineNotre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997...
: Ronald Bessette
Bessette was a perennial candidatePerennial candidate
A perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is infrequent, if existent at all. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They may run without any serious hope...
for the Natural Law Party. He listed himself as an architectural technician in the 1997 election.
He first sought election to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in the 1993 election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, and received 551 votes in Lachine—Lac-Saint-Louis
Lachine—Lac-Saint-Louis
Lachine—Lac-Saint-Louis was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1997.This riding was created in 1987 from Lachine and Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine East ridings...
for a sixth-place finish against Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
candidate Clifford Lincoln
Clifford Lincoln
Clifford Albert Lincoln is a retired Canadian politician who served as a Quebec cabinet minister prior to serving in the Canadian House of Commons....
. He was listed as residing in Pierrefonds
Pierrefonds
Pierrefonds may refer to:* Pierrefonds, Oise commune in Oise, France** Château de Pierrefonds, castle in Pierrefonds, restored by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc* Pierrefonds-Roxboro, a borough of Montreal, Canada...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
at the time.
Bessette ran as a candidate of the Natural Law Party of Quebec in the 1994 Quebec provincial election
Quebec general election, 1994
The Quebec general election of 1994 was held on September 12, 1994, to elect members of the National Assembly of Quebec, Canada. The Parti Québécois, led by Jacques Parizeau, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Daniel Johnson, Jr.....
, and received 226 votes in Marguerite-Bourgeoys
Marguerite-Bourgeoys
Marguerite-Bourgeoys is a provincial electoral district in Quebec, Canada that elects members to the National Assembly of Quebec. The riding was created in 1965 from parts of Jacques-Cartier and Montréal—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce...
for a sixth place finish against Liberal Liza Frulla
Liza Frulla
Liza Frulla, PC , also formerly known as Liza Frulla-Hébert, is a former Canadian politician. She was a Quebec Liberal Party MNA in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1989 to 1998, and a Liberal Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2006.From 1974 to 1976, she worked for the public affairs service...
.
He later campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
in that province's 1995 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1995
The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...
, and received 263 votes (1.04%) for a sixth-place finish in Windsor—Sandwich
Windsor—Sandwich
Windsor—Sandwich was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada. It came into existence for the first time with the 1934 Ontario election, and was eliminated with the 1967 election as a result of redistribution...
. The winner was Sandra Pupatello
Sandra Pupatello
Sandra Pupatello was a politician in Ontario, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2011 as a member of the Ontario Liberal Party, serving as a Minister in the government of Dalton McGuinty....
of the Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
. A newspaper report from the period lists him as residing in North York, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
(Windsor Star, 26 May 1995).
He received 569 votes in the 1997 election, finishing fifth against Liberal candidate Marlene Jennings
Marlene Jennings
Marlene Jennings, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. She was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Canadian House of Commons, and represented the riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine from 1997 to 2011....
.
Eglinton—LawrenceEglinton—LawrenceEglinton—Lawrence is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999....
: Robyn Brandon
Brandon was an office worker with an interest in social methods of stress reduction. She received 397 votes (0.91%), finishing fifth against LiberalLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
incumbent Joe Volpe
Joe Volpe
Giuseppe Joseph "Joe" Volpe, PC, was a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 until the 2011 federal election, being surpassed by the conservative member Joe Oliver Joe Oliver, and held two senior positions in Prime Minister Paul Martin's Cabinet...
.
Ottawa—VanierOttawa—VanierOttawa—Vanier is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935...
: Roger Bouchard
Bouchard is an author, and has worked with l'Association des auteurs franco-ontariens (Ottawa Citizen, 2 May 1997). He argued that the NLP would bring a "peaceful revolution" to Canada, and spoke in favour of an all-party government with experts from various social fields (Toronto Star, 21 September 1993). During the 1993 campaign, he wrote that he had been a practitioner of transcendental meditation for twenty years (Ottawa Citizen, 21 October 1993).| Election | Division | Party | Votes | % | Place | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 federal Canadian federal election, 1993 The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time... |
Ottawa—Vanier Ottawa—Vanier Ottawa—Vanier is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935... |
NLP | 438 | 0.90 | 8/10 | Jean-Robert Gauthier Jean-Robert Gauthier Jean-Robert Gauthier, CM, O.Ont was a Canadian politician.A chiropractor by training, he entered politics as trustee on a local school board. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons to represent the riding of Ottawa East in the 1972 election as a Liberal Party Member of Parliament... , Liberal Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative... |
| 1997 federal Canadian federal election, 1997 The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government... |
Ottawa—Vanier Ottawa—Vanier Ottawa—Vanier is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935... |
NLP | 330 | 6/8 | Mauril Belanger Mauril Bélanger Mauril A. Bélanger, PC, MP is a Member of the Canadian Parliament. He is a member of the Liberal Party. Bélanger has been involved in advocacy for the rights of Franco-Ontarians.... , Liberal Party Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative... |
Parry Sound—MuskokaParry Sound—MuskokaParry Sound—Muskoka is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1949....
: Rick Alexander
Rick Alexander is from HuntsvilleHuntsville, Ontario
Huntsville is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located north of Toronto and south of North Bay....
and at one time worked as a teacher. He ran for the Natural Law Party in two federal elections and one provincial election.
He was forty-two years old in the 1993 campaign, lived in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, and was a project manager for the Heaven on Earth Development Corporation, the centre of the transcendental meditation
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation refers to the Transcendental Meditation technique, a specific form of mantra meditation, and to the Transcendental Meditation movement, a spiritual movement...
movement in Canada. He called for an all-party system of government and said that centralization and inefficient social programs had caused the national deficit.
| Election | Division | Party | Votes | % | Place | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 federal Canadian federal election, 1993 The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time... |
Huron—Bruce Huron—Bruce Huron—Bruce is a federalelectoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1953.-History:... |
Natural Law Natural Law Party of Canada The Natural Law Party of Canada was the Canadian branch of the international Natural Law Party founded in 1992 by a group of educators, business leaders, and lawyers who practiced Transcendental Meditation.... |
243 | 0.49 | 7/7 | Paul Steckle Paul Steckle Paul Daniel Steckle is a former Canadian Member of Parliament for Huron—Bruce and a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. - Political positions :... , Liberal Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative... |
| 1995 provincial Ontario general election, 1995 The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada... |
Lanark—Renfrew | Natural Law Natural Law Party of Ontario The Natural Law Party of Ontario was a political party in Ontario, Canada, the provincial affiliate of the Natural Law Party of Canada. It was established in 1993, and fielded candidates in the 1995 and 1999 provincial elections. Ashley Deans was the president of the party between 1993 and 2000,... |
237 | 0.66 | 7/7 | Leo Jordan Leo Jordan W. Leo Jordan is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1999.... , Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985... |
| 1997 federal Canadian federal election, 1997 The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government... |
Parry Sound—Muskoka Parry Sound—Muskoka Parry Sound—Muskoka is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1949.... |
Natural Law Natural Law Party of Canada The Natural Law Party of Canada was the Canadian branch of the international Natural Law Party founded in 1992 by a group of educators, business leaders, and lawyers who practiced Transcendental Meditation.... |
133 | 0.31 | 7/7 | Andy Mitchell, Liberal Party Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative... |
SudburySudbury (electoral district)Sudbury is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1949.Its population in 2001 was 89,443. The district is one of two serving the city of Greater Sudbury, Ontario....
: Roy Hankonen
Roy Hankonen described himself as a supervisor. He received 247 votes (0.62%), finishing sixth against LiberalLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
incumbent Diane Marleau
Diane Marleau
Diane Marleau, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. She represented the riding of Sudbury in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 2008, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Jean Chrétien...
.
Larry Decter (Winnipeg SouthWinnipeg SouthWinnipeg South is a Canadian federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1979, and since 1988. It covers the south of the city of Winnipeg...
)
Decter was born in WinnipegWinnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba. He has a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
, and also attended Maharishi European Research University (MERU) in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He worked as a researcher and teacher with the transcendental meditation
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation refers to the Transcendental Meditation technique, a specific form of mantra meditation, and to the Transcendental Meditation movement, a spiritual movement...
movement.
Decter campaigned for the Natural Law Party in the 1993 and 1997 Canadian elections. He resided in Huntsville
Huntsville, Ontario
Huntsville is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located north of Toronto and south of North Bay....
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
during the 1993 campaign
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, and contested Windsor West
Windsor West
Windsor West is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968.The district consists of the part of the city of Windsor lying west and south of a line drawn from the U.S...
in the same province. During this campaign, he has quoted as asserting, "There is no unemployment in nature; there are no unnecessary atoms in the universe. Everything has a place and a purpose. Yet we human beings, the most highly evolved species on the planet, have somehow lost touch with the unlimited intelligence and organizing power of natural law." (Windsor Star, 22 October 1993) He received 138 votes, finishing sixth against longtime Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
incumbent Herb Gray
Herb Gray
Herbert Eser Gray, is a retired Canadian politician. He was Canada's first Jewish federal cabinet minister, and is one of only a few Canadians ever granted the title The Right Honourable who was not so entitled by virtue of a position held.-Early life:Born in Windsor, Ontario, the son of Harry...
.
He received 153 votes (0.40%) in 1997, finishing sixth against Liberal Reg Alcock
Reg Alcock
Reginald B. Alcock, PC was a Canadian politician. He represented the riding of Winnipeg South in the Canadian House of Commons from 1993 to 2006 and was a cabinet minister in the government of Prime Minister Paul Martin. Alcock was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.-Early life and...
.
Decter is likely related to Ron Decter, a prominent figure for the Natural Law Party in Manitoba.
Patrick James Coulterman (Wanuskewin)
Coulterman was a maintenance supervisor at Saskatoon's Community Clinic during the 1990s (Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 17 May 1997). He wrote against genetically modified foods shortly before the 1997 election, arguing that they were a danger to the health of Canadians and criticizing the provincial government for funding Ag-West Biotech (Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 6 March 1997). Others criticized the accuracy of his arguments, noting they were drawn largely from NLP-related sources (20 March 1997).He advocated transcendental meditation to resolve tensions in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
in 1999, claiming that president Joaquim Chissano
Joaquim Chissano
Joaquim Alberto Chissano served as the second President of Mozambique for nineteen years from 6 November 1986 until 2 February 2005. Since stepping down as president, Chissano has become an elder statesman and is called upon by international bodies, such as the United Nations, to be an envoy or...
of Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
has successfully used the technique to end twenty years of civil war in his country (14 April 1999).
| Election | Division | Party | Votes | % | Place | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 federal Canadian federal election, 1993 The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time... |
Saskatoon—Clark's Crossing Saskatoon—Clark's Crossing Saskatoon—Clark's Crossing was a federal electoral district in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1997... |
NLP | 188 | 6/8 | Chris Axworthy Chris Axworthy Christopher S. Axworthy is a Canadian politician.After teaching law at the University of New Brunswick and Dalhousie Law School, Chris Axworthy came to Saskatoon in 1984 as the founding Executive Director of the and as a Professor of Law at the University of Saskatchewan... , New Democratic Party New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in... |
|
| 1997 federal Canadian federal election, 1997 The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government... |
Calgary West Calgary West Calgary West is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1953, and since 1979. It is located in the western part of the City of Calgary.... |
NLP | 138 | 0.42 | 6/6 | Maurice Vellacott Maurice Vellacott Maurice Vellacott is a Canadian politician. He has served in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997, and is currently the Conservative Member of Parliament for the riding of Saskatoon—Wanuskewin in the province of Saskatchewan.... , Reform Reform Party of Canada The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party.... |
Frank Haika (Calgary WestCalgary WestCalgary West is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1953, and since 1979. It is located in the western part of the City of Calgary....
)
Haika was 48 years old during the 1997 election. He has a Bachelor of CommerceBachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA...
degree in Accounting from the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
and credentials from the Canadian Securities Institute, and works as an investment adviser.http://www.professionalreferrals.ca/Frank.Haika He has also taught transcendental meditation
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation refers to the Transcendental Meditation technique, a specific form of mantra meditation, and to the Transcendental Meditation movement, a spiritual movement...
(Calgary Herald, 7 October 1993). Haika wrote in support of mandatory labels for genetically modified food in 1996 (CH, 25 November 1996). In 1999, he argued that yogic flyers could bring peace to troubled areas of the world such as Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
(Montreal Gazette, 8 April 1999).
He campaigned for the Natural Law Party in two federal elections, and also ran for the Natural Law Party of Alberta in 1997. He unexpectedly endorsed his opponent, Premier
Premier of Alberta
The Premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is Alison Redford. She became Premier by winning the Progressive Conservative leadership elections on...
Ralph Klein, in the 1997 provincial election
Alberta general election, 1997
The Alberta general election of 1997 was the twenty-fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 11, 1997 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
and called for Klein to be re-elected as a reward for his success in balancing the provincial budget (CH, 27 February 1997).
| Election | Division | Party | Votes | % | Place | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 federal Canadian federal election, 1993 The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time... |
Calgary West Calgary West Calgary West is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1953, and since 1979. It is located in the western part of the City of Calgary.... |
NLP | 483 | 0.84 | 6/8 | Stephen Harper Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election... , Reform Reform Party of Canada The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party.... |
| 1997 provincial Alberta general election, 1997 The Alberta general election of 1997 was the twenty-fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 11, 1997 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.... |
Calgary-Elbow | NLP | 75 | 5/5 | Ralph Klein, Progressive Conservative | |
| 1997 federal Canadian federal election, 1997 The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government... |
Calgary West Calgary West Calgary West is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1917 to 1953, and since 1979. It is located in the western part of the City of Calgary.... |
NLP | 293 | 6/6 | Rob Anders Rob Anders Robert J. "Rob" Anders is a Canadian politician He is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada and has represented the riding of Calgary West since 1997.-Early life:... , Reform Reform Party of Canada The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party.... |