Ray Joseph Cormier
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Ray Joseph Cormier is a courrier in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, currently living in Gatineau, Quebec. He has twice ran for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons as an independent, and once ran for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Cormier claims to have played a "major minor role" in the formation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He recalls being arrested on a number of occaisons in the late 1970s for making speeches in Downtown Ottawa and making a scene. Cormier worked outside of parliament, and claims to have slipped then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau a note recalling the incident. Cormier believes this may have influenced the Charter of Rights and Freedoms Trudeau helped to patriate.
Cromier ran in the Canadian federal election, 1984 under the slogan of "God, country, peace, love, freedom and the legalization of marijuana". He received 71 votes as an independent in Ottawa Centre. That same year, he ran as an independent in a by-election in Ottawa Centre where he received 94 votes. Cormier ran again in Ottawa Centre as an independent in the Canadian federal election, 1997. This time Cormier ran to fight government corruption, and wanted a minority government and the need for change. He received 91 votes.