MOOSE JAW — Cody Sharpe was once a member of the federal Green Party, but because he became dissatisfied with how politics has been done, he decided to help launch a new centrist party.
Sharpe is a federal council representative with the Canadian Future Party (CFP), which recently held its first membership convention in Ottawa. More than 100 members attended and discussed various policy proposals, such as national security and family medicine.
“I was really pleased with it. I think it went really well,” the Moose Javian said.
Sharpe was “feeling a little bit cagey” flying to Ottawa since he wasn’t sure whether this would be a serious convention or if he should invest time in it. However, he was impressed with how serious members were, the good questions they asked, the positive interactions that occurred and how respectful the disagreements were.
The co-owner of Non-Profit Governance Solutions in Moose Jaw first heard about the party in 2023 after Rick Peterson, a former leadership candidate with the Conservative Party of Canada, finished his work with the advocacy group Centre Ice Canadians and announced he wanted to develop a new national centrist party.
“I’d been on their mailing list all throughout that (development) process, and when they announced that, ‘We’ve decided we’re going to create a new party,’ I was one of the first people to sign up … ,” said Sharpe.
During the convention, the delegates approved the CFP’s constitution, confirmed members of the federal council who oversee the party’s operations and installed Dominic Cardy as the party’s first leader. Cardy is a former MLA and cabinet minister from New Brunswick.
Sharpe liked how Cardy stood on stage for two hours answering delegates’ questions and “did not duck once,” regardless of how tough or controversial the issue was.
“That was my first time meeting him in person — I’ve talked to him on the phone a few times before that — (but) he really impressed me as well as an individual and as a leader,” the public policy analyst remarked.
The CFP is comprised of people who were members of other legacy parties but have become dissatisfied with how politics is done, are unhappy with the current federal options or who feel “politically homeless,” Sharpe said.
One good thing about building a party is the leadership can implement new rules to hopefully break “bad habits” members have acquired elsewhere, such as taking the membership for granted or failing to engage regularly with people during non-election periods, he added.
One of the most gratifying things Sharpe has experienced during the past eight months has been learning that many people in rural Saskatchewan feel the same way as him and are interested in joining the Canadian Future Party.
“It’s really across party lines. That surprised me,” he remarked, saying he was hopeful that more people would join now that the party had its convention, was officially registered, participated in recent byelections and was creating a platform.
One task that Sharpe was given was to create a process to develop the party’s policies so members could continually provide ideas to determine how the CFP would function operationally. This means moving from high-level principles and values to focusing more on grassroots issues.
Sharpe’s role is also to build up the CFP in Saskatchewan by creating electoral district associations (EDAs) where support exists, engaging with members directly, and finding opportunities for people to contribute.
Sharpe is optimistic that he can create two to four EDAs in the province, including in Moose Jaw if enough support exists. He also believes the party will be ready for next year’s federal election.
The public policy analyst added that he was excited about the public engagement that the Canadian Future Party was receiving, while he thought there was “a real appetite” for change across the country.
For more information, visit thecanadianfutureparty.ca or email Sharpe at [email protected].
