Travis Patron

Travis Patron
Born1990 or 1991 (age 35–36)
OrganizationCanadian Nationalist Party (2017–2021)
Convictions
  • Assault causing bodily harm (×2, August 2022)
  • Wilful promotion of hatred (October 2022)
  • Criminal harassment (February 2024)
  • Impersonating a police officer (November 2024)
Penalty
  • 18 months in jail (August 2022)
  • 1 year in jail (October 2022)

Travis Patron is a Canadian white nationalist who was the leader of the Canadian Nationalist Party from its founding in 2017 until his arrest in 2021. Since 2022, Patron has been convicted of several charges related to racially-motivated crimes, including assault causing bodily harm, impersonating a police officer, criminal harassment, and willful promotion of hate. He appealed his convictions, but his arguments were rejected by the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan and then the Supreme Court of Canada.

Political career

Travis Patron founded the Canadian Nationalist Party (CNP) on June 1, 2017. He announced later in November his intention to register the CNP as a federal political party and field candidates in the 2019 federal election. On November 26, he started a cross-country tour in Toronto.

In September 2018, Patron contacted Maxime Bernier, leader of the People's Party of Canada, "to see if there would be any interest in possibly co-operating with the Canadian Nationalist Party." Bernier declined any further discussions with Patron.

Patron ran unsuccessfully in the 2019 federal election as the CNP candidate for Souris—Moose Mountain, the electoral district containing his hometown of Redvers in Saskatchewan.

Criminal convictions

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) launched a hate crime investigation against Patron in June 2019, after Ottawa-based human rights lawyer Richard Warman filed a formal criminal complaint about a video Patron uploaded to YouTube warning of a "parasitic tribe" controlling Canadian institutions and calling for their permanent removal from Canada.

Shortly after the 2019 election, Patron was charged with aggravated assault, assault causing bodily harm and breach of probation, after attacking two women in Regina, Saskatchewan, who were sent to hospital for their injuries.

A complaint was filed with the RCMP against Patron by the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center on July 15, 2020. In their complaint they claim that a post on the party's Facebook page constitutes hate speech. Patron was arrested by the RCMP and charged with willful promotion of hate on February 17, 2021, in connection to the complaint.

On August 23, 2022, Patron was sentenced concurrently to 18-months in jail for two counts of assault causing bodily harm, in relation to his assault of two women in 2019. However, because Patron received time served credit for the amount of time he spent in custody, the sentence was considered served. On October 20, 2022, Patron was sentenced to one year in jail for willfully promoting hatred against Jewish people and ordered to refrain from posting about them for a year after the sentence ends.

In August 2023, Patron was charged with two counts of impersonating a police officer in Saskatchewan, two counts of failing to comply with court-ordered conditions and one of criminal harassment. In the first incident, police said he approached a woman and accused her of abducting her own mixed-race child. She sought help in a nearby hotel and he followed her, caused a disturbance and fled when bystanders intervened. Police also investigated an incident in which he approached a woman on the University of Saskatchewan campus, claimed to be a peace officer and offered to escort her – she declined his offer and he left. The university issued a warning about him trespassing and impersonating staff, and asked individuals who saw him on campus to contact protective services. He faced a third charge of impersonating a police officer after he harassed a couple at the Midtown Plaza in Saskatoon on July 20, 2023. The boyfriend was an off-duty RCMP officer of Iraqi descent.

Patron was convicted of criminal harassment in February 2024 and impersonating a police officer in November 2024, in relation to his harassment of the mother and child. He was convicted again of the former charge in relation to his harassment of the couple, as well as the latter charge in relation to his attempt to accompany a woman at the University of Saskatchewan. Patron appealed his convictions to the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan and the Supreme Court of Canada, but his arguments were rejected in June 2025 and February 2026, respectively.

Patron was arrested for wilful promotion of hate speech once again on April 14, 2026, this time by the Carlyle RCMP. This followed "a report of hateful material being posted online in a public forum" filed against Patron just a year earlier, on April 16, 2025.

References

  1. ↑ "Carlyle RCMP charge man with willful promotion of hatred". Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police. April 14, 2026. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  2. 1 2 MacLean, Rory (June 12, 2025). "Court rejects appeal from Saskatchewan man with white nationalist ties who posed as police". CTV News. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  3. ↑ "About – Canadian Nationalist Party". Canadian Nationalist Party. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Patron – Canadian Nationalist Party". Canadian Nationalist Party. Archived from the original on October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  5. ↑ Ling, Justin (November 29, 2017). "This Guy Is Trying To Lead The White Nationalist Movement In Canada". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019. A new political party is hoping to officially register itself and field candidates in the next Canadian federal election ... Patron began his cross-country tour in Toronto on Sunday.
  6. ↑ Dickson, Janice (September 11, 2018). "Bernier takes call from leader of far-right Canadian Nationalist Party, but says there will be no more talks". National Post. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  7. ↑ Moro, Teviah (August 2019). "People's Party leader Maxime Bernier pictured with Hamilton white nationalist Paul Fromm". The Hamilton Spectator. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  8. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Brian; Melnychuk, Mark (August 18, 2017). "Concerns over hate as Sask. man attempts to organize Toronto nationalist rally". Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Voter Information Services – List of Candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  10. ↑ Moro, Teviah (June 28, 2019). "Hamilton's landscape of hate: How far-right extremists are finding fertile ground". The Hamilton Spectator. Archived from the original on November 18, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Canadian Nationalist Party Leader Travis Patron charged after 2 women attacked in Regina". CBC News. November 13, 2019. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  12. ↑ Polischuk, Heather (November 13, 2019). "Far-right political party leader charged with serious assaults on women". Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  13. 1 2 "Canadian Nationalist Party Flyer Refers to Jews as 'Liars and Deceivers' and a 'Tribe of Parasites'". friendsofsimonwiesenthalcenter.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Canadian Nationalist Party leader charged with wilful promotion of hate". February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Canadian Nationalist Party leader charged with wilful promotion of hate". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Leader of Canadian Nationalist Party charged for allegedly promoting hatred with 'anti-Semitic' video". ctvnews.ca. February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  17. ↑ "FSWC Welcomes Charges Against Canadian Nationalist Party Leader for Promoting Hatred Against Jews". friendsofsimonwiesenthalcenter.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Former Canadian Nationalist Party leader gets 18-month sentence for assaulting 2 women in Regina". CBC News. August 23, 2022. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  19. ↑ Zakreski, Dan (October 20, 2022). "Former Canadian Nationalist Party leader Travis Patron sentenced to 1 year for promoting hatred against Jews". CBC News. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 "Former Canadian Nationalist Party leader accused of impersonating law enforcement in Saskatoon". CBC News. August 3, 2023. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Travis Patron facing third charge of impersonating law enforcement in Saskatoon". CBC News. August 9, 2023. Archived from the original on April 6, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  22. ↑ Zakreski, Dan (January 10, 2025). "Canadian Nationalist Party founder Travis Patron guilty of criminal harassment, impersonating police". CBC News. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Supreme Court of Canada | 41944". www.scc-csc.ca. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  24. ↑ Prisciak, David (April 15, 2026). "Sask. man convicted of impersonating a police officer, assault, once again arrested for hate speech". CTV News. Retrieved July 16, 2026.