Neo-Nazi Party Leader Fails With Only 52 Votes In Federal Election

Canadian Anti-Hate Network

Gus Stefanis is a lot of things. He’s the newly minted leader of the neo-Nazi Canadian Nationalist Party (on account of the previous leader sitting in jail), a member of White Lives Matters Toronto chapter, and even a white-only workout and “active club” enthusiast. 

What he is not, however, is a member of parliament. 

After running for a second time under the banner of the CNP in the Scarborough-Guildwood riding, at current count (mail-in and special ballots are still being counted), Stefanis managed to earn 52 votes, somewhat lower than the 88 he managed to squeak out two years ago. 

This accounts for 0.1% of the total available in the riding. 

Amazingly, with founder and former leader Travis Patron still being held in custody awaiting trial and no other candidates choosing to step forward under the CNP’s banner, the party has finished dead last out of 23 listed national parties, according to Elections Canada.

Even falling behind Quebec’s Parti patriote, an anti-immigration organization aiming to protect the province from "cultural genocide" that managed to net 241 votes, by current count.

When reached for comment on a previous article, Stefanis said, “I hope to take [the party] in a more politically correct direction.” Albeit a brief conversation, the dear leader balked at questions about being a “white nationalist,” and instead he asserted that he was “pro-white.”

Gus Stefanis previously attempted to fundraise for a lawsuit against CAHN, our executive director, and the Government of Canada.

Source: Facebook

An interesting claim considering that alongside CNP endorsements for universal basic income and support for Indigenous peoples on his campaign’s social media, Stefanis and the Canadian Nationalist Party also voiced their support for the “mission of the Council of European Canadians,” the pet project of white nationalist and disgraced former University of New Brunswick professor Ricardo Duchesne.

Stefanis confirmed on that phone that he is a participant in the White Lives Matter protests in Toronto, a fact he also broadcasts via his social channels. These protests typically draw around five or six people at one time, and Stefanis is the only one to appear unmasked.

Source: Facebook

A video recently posted to Stefanis’ personal Facebook page also features an excerpt from William Luther Pierce, author of The Turner Diaries and Hunter, both incredibly influential books in the international white power movement. The former is often credited as part of the inspiration behind the Oklahoma City bombing perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh that killed 168 people in 1995.

A January 2020 video posted to YouTube titled “Join Patriot Gus” uses footage of a man identified as Andre Chiasson wearing a Canadian Nationalist Party sweater while burning a copy of the Quran and then throwing the book on the ground. The profile image and name used by the channel are the same used by Stefanis across various social media accounts. Recent videos include footage of him speaking during WLM protests.

Footage of Andre Chiasson holding a burning copy of the Quran in a video posted to Stefanis’’ YouTube Channel.

Another video of Stefanis, posted in January 2021, refers to a Scarborough by-election as “The Great Replacement by-election,” when he proceeds to point out that the large number of Asian candidates means the “great replacement is real,” referencing a white nationalist conspiracy theory that the replacement of white Canadians is part of a larger plot to eliminate the race. 

After joining a public chat of an overtly neo-Nazi Telegram chat on July 17, 2020, Stefanis, posting as "Gus Smith," confirmed he is a member of and promoted the CNP.  He also promoted neo-Nazi Kevin Goudreau's Canadian Nationalist Front, and pointed to a picture of the group’s antisemitic postering as his reason for being there.

This is far from the only time Stefanis has spouted antisemitic talking points. Other instances include him replying to Hindu nationalist Ron Banerjee’s complaints about Chinese Canadians: "Can you think of another ethnic group that has lots of money and most are heads of media, entertainment and banking but you're not allowed to talk about them? If not then you're politically correct and a fake patriot!" 

When Banerjee asked if this group was responsible for creating a "mass pandemic," Stefanis suggested the COVID-19 crisis was a Jewish plot, responding "Maybe it did... Maybe it did." 

Notably, William John Beattie, founder of the now-defunct Canadian Nazi Party also endorsed Stefanis on his Facebook page. Stefanis liked the post, and later encouraged Beattie to become involved in the election. 

“Legal risks must be taken, whatever approach, or we are finished. Chances must be taken on/with individuals one by one basis according to chosen approach. Gus has a good approach for newbies, with the WLM and It's OK To Be White, etc,” Beattie wrote.

Stefanis is also a supporter of James Sears, the editor of the neo-Nazi newspaper Your Ward News who was found guilty for promoting hatred towards women and Jews. Photos show Stefanis appearing outside of the courtroom during the course of the trial.

The CNP also wants to establish a paramilitary force, create their own court system and tribunal, "revise if not repeal ... the Bill of Rights and Charter of Rights and Freedoms," and bring in the death penalty for people they say are guilty of treason. They have attracted hardcore neo-Nazis with criminal histories like Bill Noble, a former member of the Aryan Guard.

The party has also threatened that they will “pursue alternative methods of implementing the political change we desire” if they are not electorally successful.

In what appears to be the party’s own recording of an interview with the CBC, formerly hosted on the CNP website, Patron claims the media has misrepresented its policy positions and members are being targeted. The organization also gives space on the same page to define itself as “pro-British,” and “anti-Zionist.”