Scan this code to visit us online at Vol. 35 No. 3 Fall 2015 Editor: Jim McIntosh Libertarian Pub Nights and Events
Educa on: Is Anybody Taking Notes? ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING By Phillip Richard day November 1 2015, 9:30 AM - 4 PM As the new school year arrives in Ontario, parents Monte Carlo Inn Toronto-Markham and students alike are experiencing a mixture of emo‐ 8900 Woodbine Ave., Markham, ON L3R 5K6 ons as the summer draws to a close, and our learning ins tu ons (hopefully) open their doors again to wel‐ Kitchener‐Waterloo Pub Night ‐ Thursday September 17, 7:00 PM (3rd Thursday each month) ‐ Benny’s Family Restaurant 183 come a new batch of eager pupils. Weber St. N., Waterloo. RSVP to Paul Herriot (519‐208‐8379 or Not too long ago, I was also one of those pupils, and [email protected]) so he can reserve a large‐enough I look back at my years in the table. The next Pub Night is October 15. Ontario school system with Hamilton Pub Night – September 19, 7:00 PM (3rd Saturday of conflic ng senses of joy and each month) ‐ FLA Cafe & Bar 660 Barton St E Hamilton Email frustra on. I feel frustrated Contact [email protected] for more informa on. mostly because of how long it O awa Pub Mee ng – October 4, 2‐4 PM (1st Sunday of each took me to develop an enjoy‐ month) ‐ O'Brien's Eatery and Pub, 1145 Heron Road. Everyone ment and apprecia on for welcome. For more informa on contact Damien Wilson, learning. In fact, I was only [email protected]. Next mee ng is November 1, 2015 able to develop this a er leav‐ Guelph Pub Night ‐ Friday October 9, 7:00 PM (2nd Friday of ing the school system en rely. each month) ‐ Bobby O’Brien’s, 90 Macdonell St, Guelph. Infor‐ My own sen ments reflect one of the biggest con‐ ma on can be found here. and people can RSVP to Andrew Do‐ tradic ons we see today in how our younger genera‐ novan, via cellphone 519‐362‐7660. The next Pub Night is No‐ ons are educated and groomed to enter the modern vember 13, 2015. workforce. If learning is supposed to be fun and engag‐ Toronto Pub Night: Wednesday October 14, 7:00 PM (2nd ing, then it defies logic why so many of us couldn’t wait Wednesday of each month) ‐ Granite Brewery and Restaurant, for the school day to be over so we could go home and 245 Eglinton Avenue East at Mt. Pleasant Rd. For more infor‐ ma on email Jim McIntosh ([email protected]) or phone him find be er uses for our me. at 416‐283‐7589. The next Pub Night is Wednesday November This contradic on is one of the many reasons why 11, 2015. we think it is me to change our approach to educa on in Ontario, a province with millions of young minds at Stouffville Pub Night ‐ TBA, 6:00 PM (4th Wednesday of each month) ‐ The Lion of Stouffville: 5917 Main St., Stouffville, ON. stake in a rapidly changing global economy. There are For more informa on visit our Facebook page, email Allen Small excellent teachers who want to make this system work. ([email protected]) or phone 905‐477‐4357. There are also excellent students who want to reach If you would like to organize a Libertarian Pub Night in your area, their poten al every day, but are simply bored with a please contact John Shaw by email ([email protected]) or phone one‐size‐fits‐all curriculum that doesn’t accommodate 905 806 5170. their own learning pace. For the latest schedule, visit (ConƟnued on page 3) hƩp://www.libertarian.on.ca/pub_nights LIBERTARIAN BULLETIN Page 2 Fall 2015
Founding of the Libertarian Par es — By Jim McIntosh Much of the following informaƟon was obtained from ple on. He also offered his proposal for the Partyin the up‐ past issues of BulleƟn, the newsleƩer of the Party. Some coming Ontario elec ons. “Our objec ve should ALWAYS be informaƟon was obtained from long Ɵme and past members to communicate Libertarian principles – effec vely – to as of the Party. many people as possible,” wrote Paul (emphasis in original). Founding of the Libertarian Party of Canada He rejected any sugges on that there is an “irrevocable The US Libertarian Party was founded in June 1971, split” between educa on and poli cal ac vi es, and that, “a prompted in part by wage and price controls and the end of poli cal campaign is the ideal me to make headway in com‐ the Gold Standard, implemented by Nixon. The first Conven‐ munica ng Libertarian ideas.” He went on to propose that on was held in Denver In June of 1972, a rac ng 89 dele‐ the party run a full slate (117 candidates at the me), even gates from 23 states. Ann Noble and Bruce Evoy flew to though the Party had only 60 members. Denver to observer. One year later, 15 Canadians a ended 1975 was a busy year for the Party. In addi on to re‐ the second US LP Conven on in Cleveland. It was there that crui ng possible candidates and preparing the elec on Bruce Evoy announced his inten on to found the Libertarian pla orm, the Party held a fundraising luncheon in February Party of Canada. He called 7 people to the founding mee ng (a ended by 18) and a Theatre Night in May (a ended by at his home on Church Street on July 7 (Robert Heinlein’s 27). The Execu ve Commi ee decided to raise membership birthday) to begin preparing a Cons tu on, By‐laws and fees to $10 for Regular Members, $25 for Sustaining Mem‐ Pla orm. bers, and $100 for Life Members. The first Libertarian Party of Canada Conven on was In March, 1975, Premier Bill Davis introduced Bill 200, held October 25, 1973 at the Four Seasons Hotel in down‐ “An Act to Regulate PoliƟcal Party Financing and ElecƟon town Toronto. Eighty people a ended and ra fied the Con‐ ContribuƟons and Expenses.” Par es with four or more s tu on, By‐laws, Pla orm and Statement of Principles. members in the legislature, or who ran candidates in 50% of Sieg Pedde (s ll a member of both par es) was elected Lead‐ the ridings (i.e. 63 candidates) in the last general elec on, or er, Terry Coughlin Deputy Leader, and Steve Jarvis Chairman. who do so in the next one, are automa cally registered and Bulle n #9, September 1975, indicated that 24 Libertari‐ qualify to issue receipts eligible for the generous tax credits. ans ran in the federal elec on on July 8, 1974 and received By July 33 members had volunteered to be candidates. about 4,200 votes. BulleƟn #6, July 1975, announced a general mee ng, “to Founding of the Ontario Libertarian Party discuss the future of the Party as a separate unit, or whether it might not be advisable to dissolve it altogether, at least for BulleƟn #1 dated January 1975 reported that the found‐ the me being.” BulleƟn #7 reported a large majority of ing mee ng was held on July 24th, 1975 at the home of Terry members present at the mee ng voted to retain the Party. Coughlin in Whitby. At the federal conven on in May 1974 Bruce Evoy resigned as Secretary and was elected Chairman Terry had resigned as Deputy Leader and was elected Ontar‐ replacing Paul Mollon who resigned to concentrate on the io Leader by the Ontario Caucus. The following were elected educa on sphere. Marilee Haylock was elected Secretary. to the Execu ve: Eleven members agreed to pay Marilee to staff HQ (4866 Chairman Paul Mollon Yonge Street, Willowdale) from 9 AM to 5 PM for two weeks Vice‐Chairman Bob Sproule prior to the elec on. (During that me she sent out 250 Secretary Bruce Evoy news releases and 150 Informa on packages, and answered Recording Secretary Anne Mollon phone calls from voters, volunteer and candidates. Several Treasurer Vince Miller members volunteered to staff HQ evenings and weekends to At a second mee ng addi onal posi ons on the Execu‐ help with this work.) ve Commi ee were filled: A general elec on was called in late August, 1975 for Deputy Leader Brian Seymour September 18. BulleƟn #8, listed 44 poten al candidates Members At Large Michael Blake, Ken Freeman and advised that nomina ons would close on September 4. BulleƟn #1 also reported that a public mee ng held in It reported that failure to field 63 candidates would have London was a ended by 26 people. Party Member Vaidotas severe repercussions on the Party’s ability to raise money Jonynas chaired, while Steve Jarvis, past chairman of the and to support candidates. Libertarian Party of Canada, and Phil Spicer spoke. Michael In the end, 17 Libertarian candidates collected about Blake, Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Canada, intro‐ 4,500 votes. A “victory bash” was held at HQ on Elec on duced Sieg Pedde, Deputy Leader of the federal Party, who night, complete with champagne and pledges for ½¢ to 3¢ gave a “fairly op mis c” speech about progress in the fight per vote. A group of people offered $120 for Marilee to con‐ for individual liberty. Phil Spicer addressed students at a nue to staff HQ for another two weeks. mee ng in Ancaster to a somewhat hos le audience. On October 1, 1975 a General Membership Mee ng was The 1975 Ontario General Election held and the following mo ons were carried: The report “FROM THE CHAIR by Paul Mollon” in Bulle- Annual financial reports to be made available to all Ɵn #1 reported that the Cons tu on and By‐Laws had been members; completed and that the general pla orm was nearing com‐ (ConƟnued on page 3) LIBERTARIAN BULLETIN Page 3 Fall 2015
(ConƟnued from page 2) Libertarian Runs Against PC Leader Garfield Dunlop, the MPP in Simcoe North for the last 15 years, resigned his seat so Patrick Brown, the new Leader of the Progressive Conserva ve Party, could take his place at Queen’s Park. The Premier called the by‐elec on for Sep‐ tember 3. Darren Roskam of Barrie responded to the call for a Libertarian candidate. He also plans to be the candi‐ date for the federal Party in the new Barrie‐Springwater‐ Oro‐Medonte riding in the October 19 general elec on. Darren is 47 years of age and a ended Barrie’s own Georgian College, from which he graduated as a graphic designer in 1998. He publishes Crowe, a local magazine. Darren has been poli cally ac ve since 2006 when he run for Ward 2 Councillor. Since then he has run inde‐ pendently for MPP in 2007; managed the Libertarian cam‐ paign of Paolo Fabrizio for MP of Barrie in 2008; Mayor of Barrie in 2010; MP for the Libertarians in 2011; MPP for the Libertarians in 2011 and again in 2014. Form an “OLP Registra on Commi ee” to organize the collec on of 10,000 signatures necessary for the the Informa on Package jointly with the Libertarian Party of Party to become a registered poli cal party; Canada. Form an “Ad‐Hoc Elec on Commi ee” to organize all Alex Eaglesham was elected to Member at Large at the elec on campaign ac vi es; Execu ve Commi ee Mee ng on November 9, 1975. Form a “Telephone Reminding Commi ee” (telephone At the General Membership Mee ng on December 4, tree) to ensure each member is phoned a few days 1975 Marilee Haylock, Secretary, reported Party member‐ prior to a mee ng or other event; and ship was up to 91. Terry Coughlin, Bruce Evoy, Marvin Lee, Form a “Social Commi ee” to plan and hold social ac vi‐ Marilee Haylock and Vince Miller appeared on television and es. radio programs. Alex Eaglesham reported only about 1300 It was agreed that General Membership mee ngs signatures had been collected so far even with a prize being should be held every two months, with the first hour for offered. business and the next hour and a half for “other interes ng In addi on to frequent General Membership Mee ng events.” and the various commi ee mee ngs, the party was quite At the Execu ve Commi ee mee ng held October 4, ac ve. Regular sessions of the Saturday Night Applied Phi‐ Vince Miller volunteered to man HQ Monday evenings when losophy (S.N.A.P.) Group were held star ng in October (or he would draw up a weekly news release to be sent to media earlier). Bruce Evoy began a weekly Public Speaking Class in contacts. The commi ee also accepted in principle an 8 page November. booklet on Libertarianism prepared by Vince, to be used In
(ConƟnued from page 1) recognize and celebrate this diversity of minds and tal‐ ents. We can do be er. In fact, we can do great. This is Long Term Focus: Direct Accountability the star ng point for the Ontario Libertarian Party’s We believe in returning the decision making process pla orm on educa on – a roadmap for fresh ideas that to the stakeholders who are most affected on a daily will give parents and students the services they need basis: students, parents and educators. In support of and deserve, and will bring innova on back into our this goal, we would eliminate the need for large school classrooms across the province. boards, and other layers of bureaucracy that interfere Here are some key highlights from our pla orm: in the process of delivering high‐quality educa on to a Short Term Focus: More Choice diverse group of learners. We would also expand the It’s me for a more compe ve and innova ve ap‐ playing field for educators by providing incen ves for proach to educa on in Ontario. We would give parents innova on and performance. a tax‐directed school choice, to give students the op‐ It’s me for a change, because you deserve one. portunity to a end the learning ins tu ons that best Join us today and demand from our poli cians a be er suit their needs and objec ves. We would also provide future for Ontario’s next genera on of great young a tax credit to parents who choose to home school minds. their children. No two students are alike, and our edu‐ To find out more about our plan for Ontario educa‐ ca on system needs to be built, from the ground up, to on, please visit: libertarian.on.ca/Educa on LIBERTARIAN BULLETIN Page 4 Fall 2015
The Deficit of Imagina on—By Zork Hun We are facing another elec on where (I suspect) such forum would be a serious boost to poli cal par ‐ the majority of voters already feel uncomfortable with cipa on. the choice they are going to make if they even bother Restric ng voters. While I share some of the con‐ to make it. Everybody across the poli cal spectrum can cerns about decreasing voter turnout, I must wonder sense this discomfort and many try to address what why more people showing up at the vo ng booths could be called “the democracy deficit”. The most ag‐ would make be er choices. How would gressively promoted alterna ve to our pre‐ more par es in the parliament create be er sent system is the ranked ballot ini a ve. poli cs? Advocates of vo ng reforms wish to The idea behind it is perfectly valid, elec‐ see higher turnout not to improve but to on results would more closely reflect the validate the system. This is why communist percentages of the popular vote, but plac‐ countries had close to 100% turnouts to cast es with ranked ballot elec ons do not pro‐ a yes vote for the single candidate of the sin‐ duce be er func oning poli cal systems, a gle party. be er economy or a greater sense of de‐ The problem is that an ever increasing num‐ mocracy. ber of people realize how pointless the Term limits could be the simplest remedy to the whole process is, that their vote does not mean much problems with career poli cians but it is fiercely op‐ and that even elected poli cians are powerless against the posed by the poli cal class. entrenched power of the bureaucracy. Many people don’t The elec on lo ery is a varia on of the term limit vote out of complacency. They just don’t care. idea. If the problem are the career poli cians then the One could ask how would greater involvement of the solu on is simple: modelled a er the jury system, we indifferent and the ignorant result in be er decisions. If any‐ could create a pool of a few hundred qualified appli‐ thing, the number of the voters should be limited, not in‐ cants in each riding for the job of Member of Parlia‐ creased. ment and pull a number from that pool once every People who are dependent on the state have a strong four years. Pay them well while in office, but once they interest to vote for those who promise them more of other people’s money. People on social assis‐ completed their single term they should return to their tance should not be allowed to vote. civil life. The essence of the idea is to minimize the pos‐ sibility of corrup on. People who work for the government have a strong interest in securing their own future by vo ng for NOTA (None of the above) on the ballot would candidates who promise to increase the size of the not solve any problem, but it could expose the overall government. Civil servants and government con‐ dissa sfac on with the poli cal class. No wonder they tractors should not be allowed to vote. don’t like it. People who work for any sort of government monopoly Educa ng poli cians is Preston Manning’s ini a‐ such as the health care industry, educa on and the ve. Poli cs is the only profession that requires no government run parts of the energy sector have a qualifica on whatsoever. Not even a literacy test. We vested interest in keeping their monopoly status. Nobody working in such industries should be al‐ could take his idea a step further sugges ng that candi‐ lowed to vote. dates for any party should pass a competency test as a condi on for their nomina on. People who are dependent on government benefits such as subsidized educa on, government guaran‐ If we can think about qualifying poli cians, then teed student loans or subsidized housing have a why not voters? The ballot could have a short ques‐ strong interest in maintaining those benefits. No‐ onnaire where voters have to demonstrate their un‐ body on a direct or indirect government benefit derstanding of the op ons. That they have basic should be allowed to vote. knowledge of the issues. That they understand enough There is li le chance that any of the ideas presented English (or French) to understand what they are asked. here will ever get implemented. They are not in the interest How about a li le Swiss style direct democracy? In of the poli cal class. Besides, the real problem is not how we elect our poli cians, but what we let them get away with. I the age of the internet, we could have quite a bit of it. address that ques on in my blog: zorkthehun.wordpress. How much actual power we could give to a ‘voter pan‐ com el’ of a few thousand people could be open for discus‐ What we have to correct is not a deficit of democracy but sion, but whatever the degree is, the very existence of the deficit of imagina on addressing its problems.