Often election underdogs, Independent and minor party candidates say they shake up the 2025 Ontario vote

Steven Hanssen, an Independent candidate in Thunder Bay–Superior North, won't be voting for himself this Ontario election.

Hanssen said he ran because none of the major parties offered platforms he resonated with, but will be saving his vote for another major party candidate he feels has a better shot at being elected. 

"There was a need to break from the established parties to have the freedom of flexibility to craft the future for us," said Hanssen. 

"I'm not expecting to win." 

Hanssen is among candidates in the 2025 provincial election who don't have the support of one of the four major parties. Considered underdogs, they rarely win seats, but Independent and minor party candidates say running is worth it to connect with people unhappy with what the status quo has to offer. 

Hanssen, a former public servant, said this is his first time running for official public office. He decided to jump in after finding major parties' climate change platforms were lacking. 

"Having a realistic, pragmatic, business-orientated way of aligning our economy to the changing climate is important," Hanssen said. 

He said he thinks candidates of major parties don't have as much freedom as Independents, who aren't beholden to maintaining party lines. 

Hanssen said that if elected Thursday, he would be free to take more decisive action on climate change by building climate change-resistant infrastructure: namely, underwater cities on the ocean floor. 

"I came to the conclusion that moving under the ocean made sense given the challenges we face." 

Thunder Bay–Superior North is not located on the coast, but Hanssen said this idea could work with lakes too. 

His platform also includes food bank reform, addressing the opioid epidemic and creating a framework for a provincial relationship with artificial intelligence (AI). He said voters he met while campaigning seemed to take interest in his platform because it was grassroots and reflected the concerns of their community instead of major party talking points.

"People got really excited about [it] with hope for these reforms to, say, the food bank because they see the problems."

Hanssen said he's glad he's running, even though he doesn't think he'll win and ultimately chose to vote for a major party candidate to avoid splitting the vote. 

"Seeing [the electoral process] from the perspective of a candidate is a very rare opportunity in the history of our democracy."

Small parties offer increased choice: candidate

Like Hanssen, Thunder Bay–Atikokan candidate Martin Tempelman said he was disappointed in the platforms of the major parties — the Progressive Conservatives, Liberals, NDP and Green Party — and wanted to give voters an alternative option. 

He's one of over 200 provincial candidates running for a smaller party that caters to all political stripes. Ontario ballots this year will include candidates from Libertarian, Communist, Populist and Freedom parties. Some run on specific issues, like "Stop the New Sex-Ed Agenda Party" or the "Party for People with Special Needs." There's also a "None of the Above Party."

Six candidates in northwestern Ontario are running for the New Blue Party and the Northern Ontario Party. The Northern Ontario Party was not able to provide any candidates available to be interviewed. 

Tempelman, a candidate with New Blue, said he's been unhappy with the direction the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party has gone and wants to provide right-leaning voters another choice. 

"Doug Ford is no different than the Liberals, or NDP or the Green," he said. 

"New Blue Party, I would term as a party that's fiscally responsible, unlike the other parties that are all fiscally progressive."  

Tempelman's platform includes lowering taxes, incentivizing more housing development, increasing road safety and supporting pro-life policies. 

He said if elected, he'd like to open the latter up for debate in a way other parties haven't.

"Political parties throughout the last number of decades, they don't want to touch that issue," said Tempelman. 

Concerns about vote splitting

Some Ontario candidates have voiced concern about vote splitting or dropped out entirely in hopes of increasing other similar candidates' chances of winning. 

Tempelman said vote splitting shouldn't discourage minor-party candidates from running. 

"The only thing that would concern me about vote splitting is a person who believes the same thing I do, understands the issues the same way I do, and would not vote for me. That's vote splitting."

The New Blue Party, which was formed in the last provincial election, hasn't won a seat in any riding before. But in 2022, it won the most total votes of any party that didn't take a seat in that election. 

Tempelman said he estimates his chances of winning his Thunder Bay–Atikokan are, "with the Lord's help, 110 per cent."