The Rest of Canada Party was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 that intended to run candidates in all provinces outside of 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....

 and 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....

, which the party believed were unfairly running the country. The party planned to form a coalition government with the Bloc Québécois

Bloc Québécois

The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...

 if ever elected.

Founded by Ace Cetinski, a Chartered Accountant from Sherwood Park, Alberta, the party's website indicated its intent to advertise for candidates for federal by-elections to be held in September 2000, but there is no evidence that candidates were found.

Cetinski had previously 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...

 on three occasions:

• In the 1980 federal election
  Canadian federal election, 1980
  The Canadian federal election of 1980 was held on February 18, 1980 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 32nd Parliament of Canada...
  
   in the Alberta riding of Pembina, Cetinski won 465 votes (0.96% of the total) as a candidate for the Social Credit Party of Canada
  Social Credit Party of Canada
  The Social Credit Party of Canada was a conservative-populist political party in Canada that promoted social credit theories of monetary reform...
  
  , placing fourth out of four 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...
  
   in the Alberta riding of Elk Island, Cetinski won 559 votes (1.29% of the total) as an independent candidate on an anti-Goods and Services Tax
  Goods and Services Tax (Canada)
  The Goods and Services Tax is a multi-level value added tax introduced in Canada on January 1, 1991, by then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his finance minister Michael Wilson. The GST replaced a hidden 13.5% Manufacturers' Sales Tax ; Mulroney claimed the GST was implemented because the MST...
  
   platform, placing fifth out of five candidates.

• In a November 15, 1999 federal by-election
  By-election
  A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
  
   in the Saskatchewan riding of Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, Cetinski won 111 votes (0.71% of the total) with no designation, placing sixth out of six candidates.

The party's website is now dormant.

Cetinski has posted an article entitled, "Western Independence Now", on the Alberta Republicans website.[www.albertarepublicans.org]

Party program

(From the party's website)

The thrust of the ROC Party Concept is National Unity. In essence, it identifies Ottawa as the corrupter and not Quebec or the rest of Canada. The ROC solution to the problem is a "made-in-Canada" Swiss-style republic with the following main initiatives

1. Limit Ottawa's powers to foreign affairs, Bank of Canada (currency and debt), the military, and a National Bill of Rights, Freedoms and Responsibilities. All other powers are provincial except for First Nations, which will be a joint federal-provincial responsibility. There will be no wasteful duplication of responsibilities.
2. Cabinet ministers for Ottawa's limited responsibilities to be elected by MPs.
3. Replace the prime minister's position with an appointed president having a similar status to that of the present governor general.
4. Reduce the number of MPs in line with the reduced responsibilities of Ottawa.
5. Form a "House of Provinces", comprising the premiers and territory leaders to coordinate the expanded provincial responsibilities and administer our present key social programs.
6. Abolish the Senate.

See also: List of political parties in Canada