Paul McKeever (politician)
Paul McKeever (born 1966) is the leader of the Freedom Party of Ontario[1] and the unregistered Freedom Party of Canada, two Canadian political parties advocating laissez-faire capitalism. McKeever graduated from Trent University with an Honours Bachelor of Science in 1989 and a Master of Arts from the University of Western Ontario in 1991 and a law degree from the same university in 1995. He currently practises civil litigation and employment law.
McKeever became a member of the Freedom Party of Ontario in 1992, joined its executive in 1999, and became party leader in 2002 following the resignation of Lloyd Walker. He is the party's first leader not to reside in London, Ontario. McKeever is also owner and operator of the "Mondo Politico" website, which reviews the political positions of various parties, including his own.
McKeever was a candidate for the Freedom Party of Ontario in the 1999 election in Toronto Centre-Rosedale, where he received 344 votes, or 0.75% of all votes cast. In the 2003 provincial in the riding of Oshawa, he came in fifth out of six candidates with 518 votes or 1.3% of all votes cast. McKeever was the Freedom Party's candidate in the March 30, 2006 Whitby—Ajax by-election[2] and received 198 votes, 0.6% of all ballots cast. During the 2007 provincial election McKeever ran in London West where he received 234 votes, 0.47% of all ballots cast. He was a candidate in the September 17, 2009 provincial by-election in the Toronto riding of St. Paul's and received 61 votes (0.22%).
Under McKeever's leadership, the Freedom Party of Ontario nominated 24 candidates in the 2003 provincial election and 15 candidates in the 2007 provincial election.[3] 56 Freedom Party candidates contested the 2011 provincial election. The Freedom Party of Canada has not nominated any candidates in federal elections.