Strength in Democracy party taps into voter dissatisfaction with main parties

Canadians may be surprised to learn there is a sixth federal party vying for their vote with a slate of candidates that includes three incumbents the same as the Greens and two more than theBlocQubcois.

Strength in Democracy, otherwise known in Quebec as Forces et Dmocratie, wants to give its MPs more independence to represent their regions' interestsin Ottawa.

The party was created last fall by two Quebec MPs with a third incumbent from la belle provincerecently joining their ranks.

• Jean-Franois Fortin, Jean-Franois Larose form new political party

With a slateof12candidates so far including one from Ontario and another fromNewfoundland and Labrador andthree moreto be announced this week, Strength in Democracy leader Jean-Franois Fortin announced the launch of the party's English website earlier this week.

Fortinwas elected in 2011 under theBlocQubcois bannerin the riding of HauteGaspsieLa MitisMataneMatapdia. He left the separatist party last August and sat as an Independent for two months before launching Forces et Dmocratie. He is running in the same riding again this election.

Neither federalist or sovereigntist

Jean-FranoisLarose, whowas elected in 2011 under the New Democratic Party banner in the Montreal riding ofRepentigny, quit in Oct. 2014 to join Fortin.

The tworecently welcomedManonPerreault, who was also elected under the NDP banner during the orange wave that swept la belle province in 2011.Shewasfound guiltyin July of mischief after she falsely accused a former employee of theft a ruling she is appealing.

In a wide-ranging phone interview with CBC News, Larose said the startupparty was born out of a dissatisfactionwith a parliamentary system that gives party leaders too much power, leaving backbench MPs with tightly-controlled scripts and little say in how they represent their constituents in Ottawa.

Ifyou want to elect someone that is a puppet... that's not what I'm offering.-Jean-FranoisLarose, president of Strength in Democracy

"If you want to elect someone that is a puppet," said Larose, "that's not what I'm offering. But if you want to have MPs that have the freedom to really do their work, I think the choice is very clear."

Laroseis not running inRepentignywhere he was elected but has chosen insteadto run in the Montreal riding of LaPointe-de-l'le, where his former caucus colleague vePcletis the incumbent.

This is also whereMarioBeaulieu, formerBlocQubcoisleader, is running as a candidate. His short timeas theleader of the BQ was mired with internal party strifebefore GillesDuceppecame out of retirementto replace him in June.

While a vote forLarosemay very well eat intothe support of both the NDP and the BQ,Larosesaidthat Strength in Democracy is neither a federalist party nor asovereigntistone.

"We're neither," saidLaroseon Wednesday."We're a regionalist party."

'No oilsands period'

At its core, Strength in Democracy is a left-of-centre, progressive party thatwouldconsult widely to arrive at a consensus before declaring itself on policy issues.

CBC News askedLarosefor his position on a wide range of issues from the economy, the environmentand energy,to the Canadian mission against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Among other positions, Larosesaid he wasagainst the proposed Keystone XL pipeline andthe Kinder Morgan pipeline. He also opposesthe Energy East pipeline because "citizensdon't want it, it's not clean, it's dangerous andit's high-risk."

He agreed with the assessment by NDP candidate LindaMcQuaig that if Canada is to meet its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions "oilsandsoil may have to stay in the ground."

"I'd go even further,I think thereshould be absolutely no oilsands period,"Larosesaid. "I'm sorry but it's an environmental catastrophe... creating jobs is one thing but whenyou do it to apoint where you destroy your planet, to me that is absolutely unacceptable especially coming from Canada."

Aresponsible government,Larosesaid,would look to reducing its dependence on oil and gas and focus on developing and investing inalternate sources of energy.

Strength in Democracy presidentJean-FranoisLarose alsohad this to say:

• On the party's priorities: Democratic reform and regional empowerment
• On raising income taxes: Canadians are "too taxed" and deserve better services for the amount of taxes they pay.
• On reducing taxes for small businesses: "They certainly need more help than they get right now."
• On imposing a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system: "People are overtaxed so a carbon tax is something I worry about."
• On the Senate: Reform it, don't abolish it. "All senators should be independent." Hewould support Justin Trudeau's plan to have an arm's length, expert panel appoint future senators.
• On the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the Kinder Morgan pipeline and Energy East: "No," to all three.
• On the Canadian mission against ISIS in Iraq and Syria: "I don't think Canada should be in a position to bomb or to kill. I think before that we should contain."
• On Quebec sovereignty: "No, absolutely not."

If Canadians elect a minority government in the fall,Larosesaid Strength inDemocracy MPs could play a key by setting aside partisan bickeringand working with other parties topass legislation in everyone's interests.

Thestartup party counts at least 5,000 members and hopes to run a slate of40 candidates ahead of the federal election on Oct. 19.