Option Canada (political party)
Encyclopedia
Option Canada was a short-lived political party in Quebec
, Canada
, in the early 1990s. Gaining media attention in 1991 for its proposal to create an 11th province in southwestern Quebec, it did not maintain significant public support and never registered as an official political party before dissolving in 1993.
The Party was mainly the project of one person, insurance salesman Greg Gogan
. He withdrew from a Master's Degree
program at Concordia University
in Soviet
history to establish Option Canada as a federal party representing Quebec's linguistic minorities (Montreal Gazette, 29 April 1991).
Option Canada was founded in response to Quebec's language tensions of the early 1990s. Its stated purpose was to create an eleventh Canadian province, carved out of the predominantly English-speaking regions of southwestern Quebec. Gogan, the party's leader, argued that English-speaking Quebecers had legitimate grievances against the "restrictive language policies [of] the provincial government", and would not tolerate being "second-class citizens in a first-class country" (Montreal Gazette, 25 April 1991). Gogan stated that he would abandon his proposal for an eleventh province if the Canadian Constitution were amended to remove the "notwithstanding clause", which allows governments to override binding decisions by the courts. This clause had been used in Quebec to perpetuate restrictions on English-language advertising.
Gogan, who was thirty-eight years old at the time, was able to attract national attention for his movement despite having no prior political experience (Vancouver Sun, 16 May 1991). In June 1991, he announced that his party had signed up 2,000 members since its founding (Montreal Gazette, 13 June 1991). The party had well-attended introductory meetings in several anglophone communities, and one party event in Westmount was described in the media as " revival meeting for disfranchised West Island anglophones". Gogan emphasized that the party was not limited to anglophones, and predicted that half of its membership would be francophone within a year. (Montreal Gazette, 11 July 1991) The party was unable to maintain its early support base, however, and largely vanished from the public eye after the summer of 1991.
Option Canada dissolved in 1993, although the idea of removing federalist or anglophone areas from Quebec was continued by pro-Partition
groups, such as the Equality Party
. Gogan subsequently moved to Ontario
and became a candidate for Mel Hurtig
's National Party of Canada
in the 1993 federal election
in the riding of Ontario
riding of Scarborough West
, finishing fifth, and then a candidate for the New Democratic Party in Scarborough Centre, Ontario for the 2004 federal election
, finishing third. He joined, then quit, the Liberal Party of Canada
in 2007.
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....
, 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...
, in the early 1990s. Gaining media attention in 1991 for its proposal to create an 11th province in southwestern Quebec, it did not maintain significant public support and never registered as an official political party before dissolving in 1993.
The Party was mainly the project of one person, insurance salesman Greg Gogan
Greg Gogan
Greg Gogan is a Canadian politician and businessman. During the early 1990s, he was the leader of a short-lived political party called Option Canada....
. He withdrew from a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
program at Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
in Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
history to establish Option Canada as a federal party representing Quebec's linguistic minorities (Montreal Gazette, 29 April 1991).
Option Canada was founded in response to Quebec's language tensions of the early 1990s. Its stated purpose was to create an eleventh Canadian province, carved out of the predominantly English-speaking regions of southwestern Quebec. Gogan, the party's leader, argued that English-speaking Quebecers had legitimate grievances against the "restrictive language policies [of] the provincial government", and would not tolerate being "second-class citizens in a first-class country" (Montreal Gazette, 25 April 1991). Gogan stated that he would abandon his proposal for an eleventh province if the Canadian Constitution were amended to remove the "notwithstanding clause", which allows governments to override binding decisions by the courts. This clause had been used in Quebec to perpetuate restrictions on English-language advertising.
Gogan, who was thirty-eight years old at the time, was able to attract national attention for his movement despite having no prior political experience (Vancouver Sun, 16 May 1991). In June 1991, he announced that his party had signed up 2,000 members since its founding (Montreal Gazette, 13 June 1991). The party had well-attended introductory meetings in several anglophone communities, and one party event in Westmount was described in the media as " revival meeting for disfranchised West Island anglophones". Gogan emphasized that the party was not limited to anglophones, and predicted that half of its membership would be francophone within a year. (Montreal Gazette, 11 July 1991) The party was unable to maintain its early support base, however, and largely vanished from the public eye after the summer of 1991.
Option Canada dissolved in 1993, although the idea of removing federalist or anglophone areas from Quebec was continued by pro-Partition
Partition of Quebec
Partition in Quebec politics refers to the secession of regions of the province of Quebec, rather than to partitions in a strict political sense. It is usually discussed as a possibility in the event of Quebec secession from Canada...
groups, such as the Equality Party
Equality Party (Quebec)
The Equality Party was a political party in Quebec, Canada, that promoted the use of English in Quebec on an equal basis with French. Four Equality Party members were elected to Quebec's National Assembly in 1989, as part of an anglophone reaction to changes made by the governing Liberals to...
. Gogan subsequently moved to 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 became a candidate for Mel Hurtig
Mel Hurtig
Mel Hurtig, is a Canadian publisher, author, political activist and former political candidate.He was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. He is the former president of the Edmonton Art Gallery.-Businessman and Publisher:...
's National Party of Canada
National Party of Canada
The National Party of Canada was a short-lived Canadian political party that contested the 1993 federal election. The party should not be confused by an earlier and unrelated National Party that was founded in 1979.-Formation:...
in the 1993 federal 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...
in the riding 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....
riding of Scarborough West
Scarborough West
Scarborough West was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commonsfrom 1968 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario...
, finishing fifth, and then a candidate for the New Democratic Party in Scarborough Centre, Ontario for the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
, finishing third. He joined, then quit, 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...
in 2007.