Kevin Clarke (politician)
Encyclopedia
Kevin Mark Clarke is a candidate for public office in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. He was also one of the most recognizable homeless persons in the city. Currently he is contesting the office of the Member of Provincial Parliament
, campaigning on the issues he has advocated for most of his life, "The people's" rights. He is the leader of the People's Political Party of Ontario
.
Clarke advocates revamping the criminal justice system to incorporate a system that works to steer first time offenders away from the cycle that has led many first timers to be repeated offenders the system call "time" is :the Inmate Monitored Education System steering first offender's from Repeat Inmate so as to remove that influnce.
A former student teacher for Grade 5 at Chester Lee Junior Public School in Scarborough
in the 1980s, Clarke credits that period in his life as his most rewarding experience.
in the 1994 municipal election
, describing himself as a "advertising consultant, political rebel and welfare recipient". He promised to resign after three months if elected, and to form a provincial party for ordinary people.
Clarke first campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
in the 1995 general election
, challenging New Democratic Party Premier
Bob Rae
in York South
. He received 170 votes, finishing seventh in a field of nine candidates. During this election, Clarke vowed to oppose the "pimps" of government who "live off the avails of people".
Clarke campaigned for York South again in 1996 after Rae retired from the legislature, and finished last in a field of six candidates with 70 votes. The winner was Gerard Kennedy
of the Ontario Liberal Party
.
He sought election to the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1997 federal election
, and finished sixth out of eight candidates in Broadview—Greenwood with 211 votes. The winner was Dennis Mills
of the Liberal Party of Canada
. During this election, Clarke described himself as a salesman and a businessman.
He became homeless in 1998, after his auto business failed. For the next seven years, he frequently sang and preached on the streets of Toronto while wearing long, flowing robes. He also was actively involved in public affairs, and was a member of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee.
Clarke ran for the Ontario legislature a third time in a by-election for Beaches—East York
on September 20, 2001. He finished sixth out of eight candidates with 94 votes. The winner was Michael Prue
of the New Democratic Party.
Clarke also campaigned for Mayor of Toronto in the 2000
, 2003
and 2006
municipal elections, and ran for the Toronto City Council
in by-elections held in 1998 and 2001. His primary issues were street and water safety, though he also emphasized anti-drug policies. He ran the 2001 campaign out of a homeless shelter that he used every night. In the 1998 campaign, his age was listed as thirty-four.
He took part in an unusual protest during the 2003 campaign by tearing up pieces of a telephone book, and scattering them to the wind during lunch hour at a busy Toronto intersection. "You care if there's paper on the street," he said to passers-by, "but you don't care if there's people on the street". He also described himself as an "ex-con, ex-drug dealer and ex-teacher".
Clarke finally found housing again in 2005, and worked as an actor in this period.
He was a candidate running for the 2010 Toronto mayoral election. Clarke has been known to employ eccentric tactics to reach the public during his campaign, including speeches while aboard the TTC
.
On July 28th, 2011, Clarke stormed a meeting held by city council and their constituents to review core city services. He was promptly ejected.
In the 2011 Ontario election
he is running as leader of The People's Political Party
.
Kevin Clarke emphatically stated to Peter Tabuns
, during an all-candidates debate on education, held on September 20, 2011, that he does not endorse the Ontario New Democratic Party
.
He has also been known to stand in front of various political offices and campaign for himself. In the 2011 Ontario Election, he was asked to leave private property after scaring customers of local businesses.
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....
, Canada
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...
. He was also one of the most recognizable homeless persons in the city. Currently he is contesting the office of the Member of Provincial Parliament
Member of Provincial Parliament
A Member of Provincial Parliament is an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The titular designation "Member of Provincial Parliament" and the initialism "MPP" were formally adopted by the Legislature on April 7, 1938...
, campaigning on the issues he has advocated for most of his life, "The people's" rights. He is the leader of the People's Political Party of Ontario
People's Political Party of Ontario
The People's Political Party of Ontario is a political party in the Canadian province of Ontario founded in 2011 by homeless man and perennial election candidate Kevin Clarke.-Platform:...
.
Clarke advocates revamping the criminal justice system to incorporate a system that works to steer first time offenders away from the cycle that has led many first timers to be repeated offenders the system call "time" is :the Inmate Monitored Education System steering first offender's from Repeat Inmate so as to remove that influnce.
A former student teacher for Grade 5 at Chester Lee Junior Public School in Scarborough
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
in the 1980s, Clarke credits that period in his life as his most rewarding experience.
History
Clarke worked in the automobile business during the early 1990s. He sought election as Mayor of East YorkEast York
East York can refer to:*East York, Pennsylvania, United States*East York, Ontario, Canada...
in the 1994 municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 1994
The 1994 Toronto municipal election was held in November 1994 to elect councillors in Metropolitan Toronto, Canada, and mayors, councillors and school trustees in Toronto, York, East York, North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke....
, describing himself as a "advertising consultant, political rebel and welfare recipient". He promised to resign after three months if elected, and to form a provincial party for ordinary people.
Clarke first 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 the 1995 general 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...
, challenging New Democratic Party Premier
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
in York South
York South
York South was an electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1979, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1926 to 1999....
. He received 170 votes, finishing seventh in a field of nine candidates. During this election, Clarke vowed to oppose the "pimps" of government who "live off the avails of people".
Clarke campaigned for York South again in 1996 after Rae retired from the legislature, and finished last in a field of six candidates with 70 votes. The winner was Gerard Kennedy
Gerard Kennedy
Gerard Michael Kennedy is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as Ontario's Minister of Education from 2003 to 2006, when he resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada...
of the Ontario Liberal Party
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...
.
He 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 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...
, and finished sixth out of eight candidates in Broadview—Greenwood with 211 votes. The winner was Dennis Mills
Dennis Mills
Dennis Joseph Mills is a Canadian businessman and former politician. He was a Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of Toronto-Danforth in the east-end of downtown Toronto. He now sits on the board of directors of Magna International....
of the Liberal Party of Canada
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...
. During this election, Clarke described himself as a salesman and a businessman.
He became homeless in 1998, after his auto business failed. For the next seven years, he frequently sang and preached on the streets of Toronto while wearing long, flowing robes. He also was actively involved in public affairs, and was a member of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee.
Clarke ran for the Ontario legislature a third time in a by-election for Beaches—East York
Beaches—East York
Beaches—East York is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988....
on September 20, 2001. He finished sixth out of eight candidates with 94 votes. The winner was Michael Prue
Michael Prue
Michael D. Prue is a Canadian politician, who represents the riding of Beaches—East York in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He is the New Democratic Party critic for Finance, Public Infrastructure Renewal, Community and Social Services and the Management Board of Cabinet, and for issues...
of the New Democratic Party.
Clarke also campaigned for Mayor of Toronto in the 2000
Toronto municipal election, 2000
The Toronto municipal election of 2000, dubbed "Toronto Vote 2000" was the municipal and school board election held in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada on November 13, 2000.Elections were held to elect:* the Mayor of Toronto,* councillors for each of Toronto's 44 wards,* trustees...
, 2003
Toronto municipal election, 2003
The Toronto municipal election of 2003 was held on November 10, 2003, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to elect the Mayor of Toronto, 44 city councillors, and school board trustees.David Miller was elected mayor ....
and 2006
Toronto municipal election, 2006
The 2006 Toronto municipal election took place on 13 November 2006 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest...
municipal elections, and ran for the Toronto City Council
Toronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....
in by-elections held in 1998 and 2001. His primary issues were street and water safety, though he also emphasized anti-drug policies. He ran the 2001 campaign out of a homeless shelter that he used every night. In the 1998 campaign, his age was listed as thirty-four.
He took part in an unusual protest during the 2003 campaign by tearing up pieces of a telephone book, and scattering them to the wind during lunch hour at a busy Toronto intersection. "You care if there's paper on the street," he said to passers-by, "but you don't care if there's people on the street". He also described himself as an "ex-con, ex-drug dealer and ex-teacher".
Clarke finally found housing again in 2005, and worked as an actor in this period.
He was a candidate running for the 2010 Toronto mayoral election. Clarke has been known to employ eccentric tactics to reach the public during his campaign, including speeches while aboard the TTC
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
.
On July 28th, 2011, Clarke stormed a meeting held by city council and their constituents to review core city services. He was promptly ejected.
In the 2011 Ontario election
Ontario general election, 2011
The 40th Ontario general election was held on October 6, 2011 to elect members of the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The Ontario Liberal Party will form a minority government, with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario serving as the Official Opposition and the Ontario New...
he is running as leader of The People's Political Party
People's Political Party of Ontario
The People's Political Party of Ontario is a political party in the Canadian province of Ontario founded in 2011 by homeless man and perennial election candidate Kevin Clarke.-Platform:...
.
Kevin Clarke emphatically stated to Peter Tabuns
Peter Tabuns
Peter Charles Tabuns is a Canadian politician. He is serving as a member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly where he represents the riding of Toronto-Danforth as a member of the New Democratic Party. He launched a bid to lead the party after the previous leader, Howard Hampton, resigned. A...
, during an all-candidates debate on education, held on September 20, 2011, that he does not endorse the Ontario New Democratic Party
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
.
He has also been known to stand in front of various political offices and campaign for himself. In the 2011 Ontario Election, he was asked to leave private property after scaring customers of local businesses.