The Patriot Party of Canada (PPC) is a strongly nationalistic, federal political party which would limit foreign ownership, ensure fair trade and guarantee that Canadians – not international financial interests - control our monetary, economic and fiscal policies. We would rebuild Canada’s self-sufficiency.

The PPC promotes the visionary and active use of technology by government to promote national social and economic development. A key part of this policy is the use of communications technology – and our vast territory – to help more information workers to use the home workplace. This will help revitalize many small towns and rural areas.

The PPC stands for major constitutional change, calling for a national referendum to transfer most of the provinces’ powers down to a new super-county (Zone) level of government. This would vastly reduce federal-provincial squabbling and would let the new Zone governments better meet local social and economic needs while recognizing the ethnic makeup of their populations.

The PPC would also promote food production as the foundation of Canada’s mission to alleviate hunger and suffering in many parts of the world.

1. The PPC supports Canadian nationalism and self-sufficiency in political, economic and technological terms, within the framework of the world community. We strongly support protection of the sovereignty of Canada.
2. The PPC believes that every Canadian is a free and independent human being and that it is from all Canadians that the sovereign and government derive their legitimate powers.
3. The PPC advocates the use of advanced technology as a fundamental tool of economic and social development in Canada.
4. The PPC favours workplace decentralization, including the revitalization of existing small towns and rural communities and the creation of new ones, both as a tool of economic and social development and as a means to foster an increase in food production, which will become the foundation of Canada’s international development assistance policy.
5. The PPC supports sectoral free trade in sectors where all parties benefit, but does not support across-the-board free trade where specific economic sectors would be harmed or destroyed or where Canadian political and economic independence are threatened.
6. The PPC believes that policy-making should be fully independent of the influence of corporate, union or special interest group.
7. The PPC is a national party and, while it supports the continued existence of the provinces, it also believes that the federal government and the zone level of government (a proposed replacement for county government) are most crucial to Canada's constitutional survival in the next three decades. Accordingly, the PPC will nominate candidates only to federal and zone level elected office. Until the zone system is in place, the PPC will establish its own zones for organizational purposes.
8. The PPC has endorsed a Code of Ethics which is supported by all members
9. The PPC is organized into political, economic and technical components and each member is encouraged to participate in all three aspects to the extent possible. The PPC also draws on the diverse political heritage of Canada, including:

-consensus formation using traditional means and electronic forms of communication;

-the ideal of individual freedom to succeed within the framework of a reasonable social safety net and the right to reasonable privacy;

-promotion of a good climate for business;

-making the public sector more directly serve (and responsive to) ordinary Canadians;

-more closely tying the money supply to democratic control and removing it from the

control of the existing financial establishment; and

-promoting social and economic equality, as well as welcoming immigrants and refugees.

10. The PPC is a lawful and democratic organization committed to respecting constitutional law – and the rule of law – as well as the freedom and dignity of the individual. We support the creation of a Canadian Charter of Rights and Responsibilities.

The PPC was founded by Dan Perley, a high tech executive and consultant from Ottawa who has also worked as a senior bureaucrat and a co-owner of small Canadian and United States consulting firms. He is the author of two computer systems books and is moving back to Canada, after five years living and working in central and southern California, in part to lead the PPC. It is based on his book: Canadian Challenge: The Case for a Patriot Party of Canada. This book, and a condensed version called The Pocket Patriot, are available from the PPC.

Some of the other members of our founding group include:

-Marianne Wilkinson, a former Mayor of the City of Kanata, near Ottawa;

-Tom Routledge, an aeronautical engineer, computer systems executive and forestry

specialist from Vancouver, B.C., with extensive international experience;

-Annette McCaul, a speech therapist from Renfrew, Ontario with extensive experience in

the health care system; and

-Real Forget, a consultant and former federal government manager from Pointe Claire,

Quebec;

-John McCaul, a former broadcaster from the Fredericton, N.B. area; and

-Duncan de Verteuil, a university student living in Ottawa.

We represent many political backgrounds and perspectives. Many others have contributed their ideas. We welcome all.

Because none of the existing ones stand up for Canada; they are dominated by money from major business and financial interests, labour unions and special interest groups. Accepting big financial contributions forces these parties to do big favours for the contributors, often not in the interest of the people of Canada.

We believe that Canada has been seriously harmed by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) since the playing field is clearly not level. We should instead pursue free trade only in those sectors where both parties benefit. We should not sell our water nor let internatonal agricultural businesses gain control of our seed stocks. (The electric power deregulation mess in California is just a hint of what will happen if international finance gains control of the Canadian food supply.) For this reason we very strongly support the family farm and rural development.

The PPC believes that Canada could take advantage of our still-strong communications sector and our immense expanse of space to promote the decentralized (home) workplace as a means of national economic and social development. Because THE MAJORITY OF CANADIAN WORKERS NOW WORK WITH INFORMATION, NOT THINGS, there is the opportunity for many of us to use computers and communications equipment to work at home some of the time; some of us can work at home almost all of the time.

Because all users of home workplace computers will function as a common market or commonwealth, available work and available workers will be able to find each other much more easily; this will greatly benefit the ECONOMY. This is a much more advanced concept than the Internet (which is a community of ‘servers,’ not yet a community of individual users) and the ‘Electronic Highway’ which has become political shorthand for anything new.

Reducing Canada's population density will not only make better use of our territory but also help the ENVIRONMENT near large urban centres by reducing water and air pollution. Rural (even some suburban) home workers will become able to produce some of their own ENERGY and food on their own properties. This will cut mega-energy demand which will, in turn, further cut pollution.

These are the 'Triple E' benefits of the home workplace: Environment, Energy and Economy.

The PPC would nationalize all farm debt, selling it back to depositor-owned co-operative banks quickly as they can be developed. These new banks, over a five year period, would replace the chartered banks in providing banking services to individuals and small businesses. They would be more willing – and more fair – lenders. That in itself would create many more jobs by helping young people start new businesses.

We will vastly increase food production, improve food preservation technology and boost food exports, earning much new foreign currency. We will also produce far more equipment for the Canadian Armed Forces here in Canada. Both these initiatives will create additional new jobs.

Canada needs to be able to protect itself and fulfill its international obligations, promoting world peace and security.

Since at least 1960 we have been little more than shameless freeloaders, not paying our fair share of contributions towards either the NATO or NORAD treaties to which we are a party. It is high time that we realized this and did a bit more than our share to make up for all the years when we have done so much less than we should have.

We would vastly increase the size and capabilities of the three elements of The Canadian Armed Forces, including 30 fighter squadrons, two aircraft carrier battle groups, ten modern submarines, new main battle tanks and wheeled armour vehicles plus a standing force of 150,000 plus the same number of reserves.

By having the new Zone governments deliver many federal and provincial services, we could drastically slash the size of the federal and provincial field bureaucracies. We believe this would allow at least $20 billion to be added to the defence budget each year.

First, do you believe that Canada should once again become a strong and independent country?

Second, do you agree with the notion that the government should proactively employ science and technology as a tool of economic and social leadership?

Third, do you believe that creating a world leadership position in home workplace technology in Canada would help accomplish both of the first two objectives at the same time?

Fourth, do you believe that this can be accomplished within the framework of Canada’s democratic and parliamentary political system?

Finally, are you willing to do your part – in your own local community – each and every week to help bring all of these things about?

There were 17 attempts to fix the Canadian constitution before the failed conferences of Victoria, Meech Lake and Charlottetown. Our current constitution is partly unwritten convention, and partly written (legislated) – neither part was approved by the Canadian people. We therefore believe that it is not entirely legitimate.

We will ask the Canadian people to approve a new constitution which will re-distribute many powers from the provinces to the (newly created and more local) Zone governments. This referendum will also include a declaration that this decision by the Canadian people is not subject to review by the Supreme Court of Canada.