Plenty of options for voters aside from main parties

Despite often heard denials, it is my belief most people vote for political parties rather than specific candidates most of the time. People vote parties into power and they vote parties out of power.

Individual candidates can make a difference to a political party — and their own success or failure. But party identification and traditional voting behaviour are powerful insights into how elections eventually turn out.

While an overwhelming proportion of Ontario's population will vote for one of the three major parties (Progressive Conservative, New Democrats or Liberal), some will find cause with the Greens — Ontario's fourth party of consequence.

Yet, when many voters face marking an X on their ballots, they will find a few more options than the basic three or four parties.

There are 23 groups registered as political parties with Elections Ontario. Like its federal counterpart, Elections Canada, Ontario's election administrator has very specific rules about who may qualify as an official political party and how they retain that status once earned. Filing of regular financial reports is essential. Political parties regularly must provide details on finances and sources of funds.

Canadian electoral administrators — unlike the American chaos of unlimited funding from donors and Political Action Committees (or PACS) — closely monitor political party funding, including donors. Unlike American “buy a candidate” election finances, there are specified limits on how much money can be contributed to political parties.

Of course, even in Ontario and Canada there are numerous ways to exert influence over elected politicians if one chooses.

Yet, one sterling difference between American and Canadian politics is the role of political parties themselves. Influencing a backbench member of any political party in any legislature in Canada is probably the least effective means for gaining results.

As most elected officials understand, much of what is public policy — while often directed by incumbent party leaders — is a constructive product of a career public service. That does not mean senior party leaders cannot take definitive action.

I was once positioned to prepare a Memorandum to the Prime Minister with a very specific recommendation about the appointment of a person to represent Canada at an event in Ireland. My memo followed the hierarchical route of review by several senior officials before reaching then-prime minister Lester Pearson.

Eventually, it returned to me with Pearson's inscribed rejection of my recommendation: “Ireland is not participating in Expo 67, so we are not participating in Ireland's national day.”

Political parties matter because if given an electoral victory, they do exercise both formal and informal power, subject to silent bureaucrats. That brings me back to our pending election in Ontario.

Of the 23 registered political parties in Ontario, only 10 have nominated candidates. Of those, only three are fielding candidates for all 124 seats. The Progressive Conservatives, New Democrats and something called New Blue Party have candidates in all 124 constituencies. The Greens have 120 candidates. The Liberals have but 122 candidates.

Five other official political aggregations or parties have fewer candidates.

The None of the Above Party (67 candidates) is a contradiction in terms as its mandate seeks to ensure every elected MPP is independent. So how do independent MPPS equate with a party?

Then there is the New Blue Party (124 candidates) founded by a Toronto lawyer and his wife who believe the current Progressive Conservative party is beyond redemption.

The Ontario Party (43 candidates) essentially stands for a fiscally conservative right wing opposed to vaccination mandates and most social programs.

The Peoples Political Party (nine candidates) spends most of its time fighting with Maxime Bernier's Peoples Party of Canada over its name.

Finally, there are the Ontario Libertarian Party and Communist Party, which have 12 candidates each. Among others are right-wing fringe parties offering plenty of options for voters to vent whatever rage one may wish to share.