The National Party of Canada ran a number of candidates in the 1993 federal election, none of whom were elected. Information about these candidates may be found here.
Ontario
Kingston and the Islands: Chris Papadopoulos
Papadopoulos was twenty-seven years old at the time of the election. He was a graduate of Queen's University in Kingston, and was an unemployed teacher (Kingston Whig-Standard, 3 October 1993). He received 1,768 votes (3.08%), finishing fifth against Liberal incumbent Peter Milliken.
Markham—Whitchurch-Stouffville: Sheldon Bergson
Bergson was a university student living in Thornhill. He received 973 votes (1.26%), finishing fifth against Liberal candidate Jag Bhaduria. Years later, Bergson changed his name to Above Znoneofthe and since 2016 has run in several by-elections as an independent or member of other minor parties.
Nickel Belt: Brian Woods
Brian Woods described himself as a businessman. He received 346 votes (0.78%), finishing fifth against Liberal candidate Ray Bonin.
Parkdale—High Park: Stephen A. Biega
Biega described himself as a small-business consultant and entrepreneur, said he was running to restore "integrity, openness, accountability and real democracy in government", and spoke of preserving the distinctive community in his riding (Toronto Star, 22 October 1993). He received 1,320 votes (3.21%), finishing fifth against Liberal incumbent Jesse Flis.
Parry Sound—Muskoka: John Marshall
John Marshall identified as a systems programmer. He received 581 votes (1.26%), finishing fifth against Liberal candidate Andy Mitchell.
St. Paul's: Mario Godlewski
Godlewski worked as a teacher at Park Public School in Toronto (Toronto Star, 16 January 1988), and served as vice-president of the Toronto Teachers Federation (Globe and Mail, 26 June 1980). Also a human rights activity, Godlewski called for a national cultural strategy in the 1993 campaign (Toronto Star, 22 October 1993). He received 1,259 votes (2.46%), finishing fifth against Liberal candidate Barry Campbell.
Manitoba
Eldon Obach (Brandon—Souris)
Obach worked in farm equipment sales. He received 336 votes (0.91%), for a sixth-place finish against Liberal candidate Glen McKinnon.
Mel Christian (Portage—Interlake)
Christian was a businessman in Stonewall. He received 935 votes (2.62%), finishing fifth against Liberal candidate Jon Gerrard. In 1995, he spoke against a private-sector effort to harmonize customs and immigration laws between Canada and the United States of America.
Christian and Phyllis Abbe delivered a presentation before the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 1999, supporting sustained funding for Canadian culture and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Shirley Loewen (Winnipeg South)
Loewen is the wife of Bill Loewen, a prominent Winnipeg businessman and former president of the National Party (Globe and Mail, 4 September 1993). She is herself a prominent community figure, having served as school board chairman in the Seine River district of Winnipeg during the 1980s (Globe and Mail, 5 July 1986). The Loewens were named as Winnipeg's arts supporters of the year in May 1993, following significant financial donations to the city's cultural community (Winnipeg Free Press, 27 May 1993).
Shirley Loewen was 56 years old at the time of the election, and campaigned on a platform of preserving social programs and abrogating Canada's Free Trade Agreement with the United States (Winnipeg Free Press, 29 September 1993). She received 2,512 votes (4.80%), finishing fourth against Liberal candidate Reg Alcock.
The National Party split in 1994, and the Loewens led a splinter group that recognized Richard Loeb as party leader. At one stage in this dispute, Shirley Loewen, along with two other dissident members, were escorted out of the building by security officers, after making a scene while entering the office tower lobby where the national executive were holding a meeting. This split contributed to the party's disintegration later in 1994, despite efforts by both sides to affect a reconciliation (Winnipeg Free Press, 7 December 1994).
