Reform Party of Ontario - Unofficial Movement

Unofficial Movement

In 1993, several supporters of the Reform Party of Canada started a movement which advocated for an active Reform party in Ontario. This movement was not affiliated with the national Reform party, and thus was prevented from using the Reform Party of Ontario name by Elections Ontario.

Subsequent to the 1995 general election, the group founded "Grassroots United Against Reform's Demise" (GUARD) to lobby for the Reform Party's participation in provincial politics. "Focus Federally For Reform", which opposed an active party, was formed in response. A vast majority of Ontario Reform supporters backed Focus Federally, and Grassroots United lost their bid to have the party enter Ontario politics.

The group supporting a Reform movement in Ontario formed the Reform Association for Ontario and ran unsuccessfully in the 1995 election. The party's leader, Kimble Ainslie, alleged that Preston Manning and Mike Harris had arranged a secret deal to prevent the federal Reform Party from participating in provincial politics. Candidates were nominated in Huron—Bruce, Kitchener—Waterloo, and other ridings in London, Ontario, and won only a handful of votes.

In the 1999 Ontario election, the Reform Association for Ontario ran a candidate in Prince Edward—Hastings and in the 2003 Ontario election ran a candidate in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound. Both were credited as "Independent Reform" candidates, and both were unsuccessful.

The Reform Association for Ontario was renamed the Reform Ontario Movement and continued to promote its agenda, including fixed election dates, a referendum on the issue of electoral reform, and more free votes in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.