Election Results
I would like to thank everyone who came out to vote for me on October 14th, and also congratulate Kelly Block's team on their successful campaign.There is a lot which needs to be done between elections to bring attention to liberty issues. If you would like to get involved with the Libertarian party in the future, or even come meet some libertarians at an informal gathering, just send a brief note to me at info@kevinstricker.ca.
Q & A
- What is a libertarian? What do you stand for?
- Why would I want a Libertarian to represent Saskatoon--Rosetown--Biggar? Wouldn't it be better to have someone in the ruling party representing our interests?
- Okay, but I don't think you're going to win. Not in a million years. Shouldn't I vote for someone who I think has a chance?
Essentially, the idea behind libertarianism is that the government should be a servant of the people rather than their master, and that the government's power should be limited to defending its people from force or fraud, and resolving disputes between parties where voluntary arbitration has failed. If a Libertarian government was elected, it would reduce taxes to a minimum and reduce the size of government to a minimum. It would also remove restrictions on personal and economic freedom and seek to remove government interference from as many areas of life as possible. It would maintain what we see as the legitimate functions of government - the administration of justice and national defence - and would ensure that these functions worked effectively in protecting rights and freedoms.
A libertarian in parliament would vote against laws that restricted personal and economic freedom in favour of measures which enhance freedom. For instance, let's look at a few of the bills which were recently before the house:
Bill C-51 - To give the government new powers to regulate the natural health business
againstI would be against this bill as it would restrict economic freedom. The industry has gone with relatively few regulations until now, and there is no particular need for it. This is not something Canadians want.
Bill C-61 - Copyright Reform
againstThe Conservatives re-wrote this bill to explicitly give you the right to do things privately in your home such as transfer your old records onto CD for your private use. If you believe that accomplished anything, you'd better wait to make a sandwich with that jar of peanut butter you bought. There is no explicit law allowing you to do that yet. Aside from that, the bill adds a lot of restrictions on what you are allowed to do in private with your purchased media. For example, copying a DVD movie onto an iPod would be a big no-no. If these new restrictions are to ever be enforceable, the government will need to be given new powers of search and seizure to see what you are doing in private. Since the only practical implication of this law is that personal freedom may be restricted, I am against it.
M-446 - Private Members Bill to repeal Section 13(1) of the Human Rights Act
forSection 13, with respect to hate speech is increasingly being abused. The government should never have the power to coercively silence any speech. It is generally not in one's own interests to speak hatefully, and the general public should make it clear what speech is not acceptable to them, but this is not a place for government.
Ah, so you're going for the strategic vote. Well, if you don't vote with your conscience, you will never get the government you want. Votes are the only currency that matter to those in power. If you vote for a party you don't like much because you think it has the best chance of beating the one you really, really hate, it only sends the message to the party you really, really hate that they need to be more like the one you don't like much to get your vote. Voting strategically will never help you in the long run.
