George Dance (politician)

George Dance is a politician and political activist in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Libertarian Party of Canada and the Ontario Libertarian Party since the mid-1970s, and has served as interim leader of both parties.

Dance listed his occupation as stock clerk, layout artist, freelance typesetter and office manager on various occasions between 1979 and 1993. He has long published "The Bulletin", the Ontario Libertarian Party's newsletter.

Like many others in his party, Dance has called for increased privatization and is an opponent of unionization. He is an opponent of anarchism, and describes himself as a "proper-government libertarian" (i.e., supporting a government and recognizes and respects individual liberties). Dance is also an opponent of restrictions on public smoking.

Dance became leader of the Libertarian Party in 1991, after former leader Stanislaw Tyminski left Canada to form Party X in Poland. He held this position until May 1993, when Hilliard Cox was chosen to replace him. Dance also served as interim leader of the federal party from 1995 to 1996.

Dance has served on the executive of the Ontario Libertarian Party since 1985, and is currently its chairman. He became the party's leader following the resignation of John Shadbolt on June 9, 1995, and held the position until Sam Apelbaum was selected at a delegated convention in late 1996. As party leader, Dance contested a 1996 by-election in York South.

In 1992, Dance indicated that his party might seek an electoral alliance with the Freedom Party of Ontario. The Freedom Party soon rejected this suggestion.

Electoral record

*Ontario general election, 1975, Wilson Heights, 366 votes (winner: Vern Singer, Liberal)
*Canadian federal election, 1979, Davenport, 156 votes (winner: Charles Caccia, Liberal)
*Canadian federal election, 1980, York South—Weston, 299 votes (winner: Ursula Appollini, Liberal)
*Canadian federal election, 1984, York—Scarborough, 1,067 votes (winner: W. Paul McCrossan, Progressive Conservative)
*Ontario general election, 1985, Scarborough—Ellesmere, 348 votes (winner: David William Warner, New Democratic Party)
*Ontario general election, 1987, Scarborough Southwest, 485 votes (winner: Richard Johnston, New Democratic Party)
*Canadian federal election, 1988, Brampton, 593 votes (winner: John McDermid, Progressive Conservative
*federal by-election, July 13, 1990, Oshawa, 117 votes (winner: Michael Breaugh, New Democratic Party)
*Ontario general election, 1990, Scarborough West, 401 votes (winner: Anne Swarbrick, New Democratic Party)
*Canadian federal election, 1993, Scarborough Centre, 153 votes (winner: John Cannis, Liberal)
*Ontario general election, 1995, Scarborough West, 214 votes (winner: Jim Brown, Progressive Conservative)
*provincial by-election, May 23, 1996, York South, 77 votes (winner: Gerard Kennedy, Liberal)
*Ontario general election, 2007, Scarborough Southwest, 296 votes (winner: Lorenzo Berardinetti, Liberal Party)