Family Coalition Party candidates from across Ontario met in Toronto in November to assess the party’s showing in the recent provincial election. Regardless of how they did at the polls, all the candidates agreed that they would run again if they had the chance. In fact, doing it again quickly became the focus of the meeting. The second day was devoted to discussions of how the party could grow and expand over the next four years.
In reviewing the campaign, many candidates expressed regret that they had started their campaign late. Few of them declared their candidacy before the election had been called. Repeatedly, the candidates expressed real satisfaction with the number of votes received when they considered the little resources they had at the beginning of the campaign. (The average FCP vote was over 1600 votes.)
Everyone received a boost from the Friday banquet speaker, Louis Wien. A long-time Republican who previously held posts both in the White House and the New York City Mayor’s office, Wien was approached early in 1990 to run as the Republican candidate for governor against Mario Cuomo. Wien decided instead to run for the Right to Life party. He amused delegates with stories from his campaign and made it clear that losing an election was not failure; it was in fact the hard work that future success must be built on.
Party leader Don Pennell, bolstered by the enthusiasm shown by the candidates, promised that the Family Coalition Party would immediately set out to become organized in all 130 ridings by next year.
