Raymond Samuels

Raymond Samuels (born ca. 1968) is a Canadian author, businessman and politician. He is the founder and leader of the unregistered Cosmopolitan Party of Canada, and has campaigned for public office three times. He also uses the names Raymond Samuels II, H. Raymond Samuels II and H. Raymond Carby-Samuels II.[1]

According to a 1999 Toronto Star article, Samuels has an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto in international relations and labour-management relations. He is also described as an associate member of the Law Society of England and Wales, although he is not a lawyer.[2]

Political career

Campaigns

According to the Cosmopolitan Party website, Samuels worked for the Liberal Party of Canada in the 1988 federal election.[3] He appears to have started the Cosmopolitan Party of Canada for the first time in 1993, when a report in the Ottawa Citizen lists him as having held an open house meeting for the party in Ottawa that attracted about thirty people. Samuels called a "full integration of cultural diversity", and unsuccessfully attempted to register his party with Elections Canada.[4] He later affiliated with Mel Hurtig's National Party of Canada, and campaigned under its banner for Ottawa—Vanier in the 1993 federal election. A newspaper report from this period lists him as twenty-five years old.[5]

Samuels subsequently formed the Cosmopolitan Party of Canada (Ontario) at the provincial level, and registered the party with the Ontario Commission on Election Finances in late 1993. He claimed that the party would "involve more people in decision-making" and develop "a more positive conception of society".[6] He may have intended to field candidates under the party's banner in the 1995 provincial election, but did not do so. Samuels campaigned provincially in the 1999 Ontario general election, and finished eighth out of eight candidates in Trinity—Spadina. He was listed on the ballot as an independent, although earlier in the year he had submitted a request with Elections Ontario to register the "Cosmopolitan/Cosmopolite Party".[7]

Samuels joined the Progressive Conservative party in the late 1990s, presumably as a supporter of David Orchard's leadership campaign. He sought the Progressive Conservative nomination in Ottawa Centre for the 2000 federal election, but lost to David Longbottom, who subsequently resigned.[8] Samuels later affiliated with Paul Hellyer's Canadian Action Party for the election, and finished eighth out of nine candidates in Ottawa—Vanier.

Cosmopolitan Party

Samuels launched the Cosmopolitan Party of Canada again in 2003, and was announced its first interim leader. The party claimed 600 members in 2004, although this figure has not been independently confirmed. Samuels announced his intention to run in the 2004 federal election for Ottawa Centre, but did not actually appear on the ballot.[9] He described himself as a government relations consultant.[10] The Cosmopolitan Party is unregistered, and does not appear to have fielded any candidates in the 2004 or 2006 elections.

The party's website calls for donations to assist its "Campaign for Public Enterprise". Members are offered a choice of four gifts in return for a $200 donation, one of which is a copy of Samuels's book, National Identity in Canada and Cosmopolitan Community.[11]

A press release from early 2006 lists Samuels as the editor-in-chief of a newspaper called The Canadian. He held a press conference on free trade and violent crime during the 2006 election.[12]

Political ideology

The Cosmopolitan Party under Samuels' leadership describes itself as progressive and centrist. The party's platform (which is written in quasi-religious language) blames the open market economy and the rule of mammon for social inequality in Canada, and calls for government intervention to promote the quality of life. The party also advocates social justice and environmental concerns, and argues that Canadians have a basic right to food, shelter, and other necessities.

Samuels claims that the Cosmopolitan Party follows the legacy of historical figures such as Jean Talon, John A. Macdonald, John Diefenbaker, Tommy Douglas, Lester Pearson, Pierre Trudeau and John Turner. He supports cultural diversity, and strongly opposes Quebec separatism and free trade with the United States of America. He has also championed a proposed social science called "quantuum economics", which is said to combine elements of economics, health and ecology.[13]

Books

Samuels has authored, co-authored and edited several books, all of which are published through "The Agora Cosmopolitan" based in Ottawa. He has over sixty-five titles with registered ISBN numbers, although it is not clear if all are available for purchase.

His political works include the following:

Samuels has also issued several works on e-commerce, and at least two guidebooks on erotica and erotic fiction.

Sources: The Agora (book titles), Blackwell's Online (search for "Raymond Samuels").

Reviews

Samuels' 1997 book, National Identity in Canada and Cosmopolitan Community, was reviewed by Michael Rappaport in The Varsity, the campus newspaper of the University of Toronto. Rappaport writes that the book is filled with "fiery rhetoric and inane gibberish" and "inflated, incomprehensible prose — chock full of jargon and superfluous words". He summarizes the book's argument as follows: the English and French elites of Canada, along with several prominent social institutions, have promoted official multiculturalism as a means of discriminating against non-English and non-French persons.[14]

Websites

Articles and services related to Samuels's career have been featured on a number of interrelated websites. These include:

The stated purpose of this project is to examine electoral issues in Canada. Its earliest article concerns the registration status of the Cosmopolitan Party in the 2004 election.[15] The Cosmopolitan Party's Ottawa address is listed as a contact for advertisers, while The Canadian, the Jesustians, the Agora Book Cafe, the Trudeau Society and the Canadian Association for Research on Capitalistocracy are all linked on the front page.[16] The page is not to be confused with www.elections.ca, the official site of Elections Canada.

The "Jesustians" describe themselves as the "Tommy Douglas Publishing Centre on Spirituality and Social Justice". Their website features prominent articles on both Douglas and Jesus Christ. They have the same mailing address as the Cosmopolitan Party, and Samuels's Capitalism is not Democracy is the only entry in the featured books section.[17]

The stated goal of this project is to defend Pierre Elliot Trudeau's "progressive cosmopolitan" view of Canada as a "Just Society". The Canadian, the Cosmopolitan Party, the Jesustians and the Agora Australia Publishing Consortium are all linked from the site's home page.[18]

This site was once listed as the "Capitalistocracy Book Café", and now as "The Canadian National Newspaper". Three of Samuels's books (Capitalism is not Democracy, Compendium on Capitalistocracy and Corporate Globalization and Constitutionalizing Universal Public Healthcare in Canada) are listed as recommended reading, and several other books by Samuels are listed in the "Featured Books" section.[19]

The Agora Book Café links "Capitalistocracy Books", the Jesustians and "The Canadian national newspaper" on its introductory page. The contact address is the same as that of the Cosmopolitan Party. Quantuum Economics: Wage Slavery or the Quality-of-Life?, co-written by Samuels, is a featured book.[20]

This site lists itself as "Australia's most progressive not-for-profit publishing and distribution consortium". Capitalistocracy, the Agora Book Cafe, The Canadian National Newspaper and the Jesustians are linked from the site's introductory page. Samuels's "The Ozone Layer Conspiracy" is the only featured book.[21]

Electoral record

Canadian federal election, 2000: Ottawa—Vanier
Party Candidate Votes%Expenditures
LiberalMauril Bélanger 26,749 55.56 $53,043.71
     Canadian Alliance Nestor Gayowsky 7,600 15.79 $20,746.81
     Progressive Conservative Stephen Woollcombe 7,400 15.37 $12,337.93
     New Democratic Party Joseph Zebrowski 4,194 8.71 $22,013.12
GreenAdam Sommerfeld 1,083 2.25 $1,883.98
MarijuanaRaymond Turmel 728 1.51 $0.00
     Natural Law Pierrette Blondin 187 0.39 $0.00
     Canadian Action Party Raymond Samuels 126 0.26 $2,789.98
     Marxist-Leninist Kim Roberge 74 0.15 $0.00
Total valid votes 48,141 100.00
Rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 292
Turnout 48,433 56.95
Electors on the lists 85,051
Sources: Official Results, Elections Canada and Financial Returns, Elections Canada.
Ontario general election, 1999: Trinity—Spadina
Party Candidate Votes%Expenditures
New DemocraticRosario Marchese 17,110 47.89 $46,546.02
LiberalAlbert Koehl 9,817 27.48 $16,013.80
Progressive ConservativeChris Loreto 7,323 20.50 $19,195.97
GreenSat Khalsa 612 1.71 $0.00
Natural LawRon Robins 274 0.77 $0.00
Independent (Humanist)Roberto Verdecchia 258 0.72 $170.00
FreedomSilvio Ursomarzo 182 0.51 $0.00
Independent (Cosmopolitan/Cosmopolite)Raymond Samuels 154 0.43 $1,880.00
Total valid votes 35,730 100.00
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 647
Turnout 36,377 52.05
Electors on the lists 69,882
Canadian federal election, 1993: Ottawa—Vanier
Party Candidate Votes%Expenditures
LiberalJean-Robert Gauthier 34,224 70.47 $41,407
  Progressive Conservative Marie-Christine Lemire 5,116 10.53 $21,151
  Reform Sam Dancey 3,830 7.89 $8,694
  New Democratic Party Willie Dunn 3,155 6.50 $15,168
GreenFrank de Jong 652 1.34 $0
  National Raymond Samuels 532 1.10 $1,381
  Independent David Talbot 445 0.92 $1,047
  Natural Law Roger Bouchard 438 0.90 $37
  Marxist-Leninist Serge Lafortune 141 0.29 $135
  Abolitionist Steven Edward White 31 0.06 $108
Total valid votes 48,564 100.00
Rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 517
Turnout 49,081 62.43
Electors on the lists 78,617
Source: Thirty-fifth General Election, 1993: Official Voting Results, Published by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada. Financial figures taken from official contributions and expenses provided by Elections Canada.

All federal election information is taken from Elections Canada. All provincial election information is taken from Elections Ontario. Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available.

The 1999 expenditure entries are taken from official candidate reports as listed by Elections Ontario. The figures cited are the Total Candidate's Campaign Expenses Subject to Limitation, and include transfers from constituency associations.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Ministry of the Attorney General, Court Services Division, Small Claims Court, 2002. Endorsement of Honourable Deputy Judge G. C. House, Claim # 00-SC-066244.
  2. ↑ "Independent candidate Samuels isn't a lawyer", Toronto Star, 26 May 1999, p. 1. The article lists him as a member of the "Trained Solicitors Group". This is likely a misprint for "Trainee Solicitors Group".
  3. ↑ Raymond Samuels political background, Cosmopolitan Party website, accessed February 2006.
  4. ↑ Joe Sornberger, "The upstart parties", Ottawa Citizen, 17 April 1993, B3. The report lists his name as "Raymond Samuel".
  5. ↑ "Ottawa-Vanier", Ottawa Citizen, 7 October 1993, B3.
  6. ↑ "Election commission tracks provincial political hopefuls", Hamilton Spectator, 7 April 1994, A6.
  7. ↑ Elections Ontario, Requests to Register the Name of a New Political Party in Ontario, as of 18 March 2005.
  8. ↑ Louise Hayes, "Tories stumble", listed on www.carleton.ca, 10 November 2000.
  9. ↑ "Media Advisory — Canada25 hosts all candidates debate in Ottawa Centre", Canada NewsWire, 22 April 2004, 08:47 report.
  10. ↑ "The Candidates", Ottawa Citizen, 24 May 2004, A9.
  11. ↑ Cosmopolitan Party of Canada website, donations page.
  12. ↑ "BC-Look-Ahead", Broadcast News, 6 January 2006, 03:05 report.
  13. ↑ Canadian Association of Cosmopolitan Quantuum Economics website, title page. All information on the ideology of the Cosmopolitan Party is taken from related pages on the same site. See especially: Spiritual Values, About, Party Constitution, Political Values.
  14. ↑ Michael Rappapart, review of National Identity in Canada and Cosmopolitan Community, The Varsity, web-posted 30 March 1998.
  15. ↑ David-Yves Lafontaine, "Elections Canada's fiasco over political party registration", 21 May 2004. See also Elections-Canada.com staff, "Canada's mass-media covers-up Elections Canada fiasco", 22 May 2004.
  16. ↑ Information taken from the Elections-Canada.com website, available here. Click here for the advertising page, and here to confirm that the address is identical to that of the Cosmopolitan Party.
  17. ↑ The Jesustians home page is available here, and the entries on Jesus and Douglas are available here and here. The Jesustians featured books page is available here, and their contact address is available here.
  18. ↑ The Trudeau Society home page is available here.
  19. ↑ The capitalistocracy home page is available here.
  20. ↑ The introductory page is available here, the home page is available here, and the donations page is listed here.
  21. ↑ The introductory page is available here, and the home page here.

External links