Dean Wasson

Who is Dean Wasson?

Dean Wasson is an Ontario politician and public servant. He was a founding member of the Ontario Confederations of Regions Party, and was leader of the Ontario Provincial Confederation of Regions Party in the 1990 provincial election.

Wasson's family arrived in the Peterborough region in 1831. Before entering political life, he spent many years in volunteer positions in minor hockey and minor and Senior Lacrosse and church organizations.He also held many senior management positions in business and finance with a major corporation.

In 1991, Wasson testified before a provincial committee on bilingualism that the Canadian Charter of Rights should allow "cultural diversity by region". He also called for Ontario to promote the de-Confederation of Quebec from Canada in the event that a compromise on federal issues could not be reached, and spoke of the importance of English cultural heritage within Canada.

The National Confederation of Regions party was initially formed to promote western autonomy within Canada, and to oppose official bilingualism. The Ontario Party first appeared shortly before the 1990 election, after a number of municipalities in the province declared themselves unilingually English and the provincial Liberal Party indicated that they were moving towards official bilingualism for Ontario. It was formed to address the perceived reverse discrimination inherent in government services through bilingualism.