Natural Law Party of Canada - Definition and Overview

The Natural Law Party of Canada was the Canadian branch of the international Natural Law Party, the political arm of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation movement. It never won a seat in Parliament, or came close.

Its most famous member was the magician Doug Henning, who ran as a candidate for the Natural Law Party in the 1993 Canadian election. Henning was featured so prominently in the party's ads that many Canadian voters mistakenly thought he was the party's leader.

The NLP advocated federal funding for research in yogic flying, believing that this form of meditation was the key to achieving world peace and universal health. It also proposed the construction of Maharishi Vedic Land near Niagara Falls. The project was never completed.

The Natural Law Party in Canada was one of a number of Natural Law parties around the world.

The NLP was primarily active in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.

The party was de-registered by Elections Canada, the Canadian government's election agency, on January 23, 2003.

Natural Law also ran candidates in provincial elections without success. The provincial parties have also become defunct.

Election results

See also:

• List of political parties in Canada