Sep 202011
 

VIDEO – DESCRIPTION:

On September 20, 2011, during Ontario’s provincial general election, Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever was a guest of Byline (hosted by Brian Lilley on Sun TV). The appearance was prompted by September 15th and 16th comments by Lilley that Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives are indistinguishable from Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals, and that there exists no viable alternative for “fiscal conservatives”. Viewers e-mailed Lilley to let him know he was wrong: for those looking for better governance in Ontario, there’s Freedom Party.

Lilley and McKeever discussed four of Freedom Party’s 18 election planks: 1. Separating Organized Religious Practice and Public Schools, 2. Allowing Beer and Wine to be purchased in Grocery and Convenience Stores, 3. Eliminating Ontario’s 14.7 cent per litre gasoline tax, and 4. Eliminating the beer tax (which will save beer purchasers as much as $5.76 per box of 24 beer). Continue reading »

Sep 202011
 

As set out in Freedom Party of Ontario’s 2011 election platform, a Freedom government will eliminate the beer tax, the wine tax, the gasoline tax, and the health premium. One of Freedom Party’s candidates has been knocking on doors, campaigning, and asked me the following:

Have you ever been asked something to the effect: “Sounds great that FP is going to cut all these taxes, but what services are you correspondingly going to slash? What’s your hidden agenda?”

How would you address that?

Secondly, any general advice (other than stick to the planks) when it comes to doing interviews with media etc? What to avoid, emphasize, etc.?

I’ve had some amazingly positive responses from people re: FP. Even the partisan PC guy cleaning his gun was keen and interested in FP.

I replied as follows: Continue reading »

Sep 182011
 

“Freedom Party leader and No Tax for Pan Am Spokesperson Paul McKeever is condemning PC Leader Tim Hudak for his too-little-too-late open letter of September 18, 2011 to Dalton McGuinty concerning cost over-runs in Toronto’s hosting of the 2015 Pan Am Games. Freedom Party formed a No Tax for Pan Am Games committee on August 24, 2009 to oppose taxpayer funding for Toronto’s bid to host the games, and has continued to oppose and document cost over-runs on its notaxforpanam.com web site. Until today, Hudak and the PCs have been utterly silent, and have offered up no defence of the taxpayer with respect to the 2015 Pan Am Games…” Click here to read the full media release.

Sep 152011
 

“Nominations closed at 2 PM today in Ontario’s provincial election and, for the first time, the Freedom Party of Ontario is running candidates in enough ridings to form a majority government. Ontario has 107 ridings. Fifty-four (54) MPPs are required to form a majority government. Freedom Party has nominated candidates in at least 56 ridings. Freedom Party is running candidates in all 24 Toronto ridings, giving it a full slate in the province’s most vote-rich region…”. Click here to read the full media release.

Sep 132011
 

Freedom Party received an e-mail from a graduate student, K, who wrote, in part:

As a scientist-in-training, I applaud your party’s commitment to reason and in particular your suggestions to separate religious practice from schooling. However, I take issue with your party’s stance on pesticides.

There are two problems I have with this. The first is that it’s one thing to let people expose themselves to whatever toxic substance they wish, but nobody has a solid wall around their property that blocks windborn movement of pesticides, or insects (whose good health is important to birds, pollination services, and many small mammals). Consider it like having a neighbour blaring loud music at all hours of the day: their right to play loud music doesn’t override your right to be able to enjoy your property (including having a good night’s sleep).

The second I have is an issue of onus. While you argue that it is irrational to ban something that hasn’t been proven to be unsafe, I would argue the opposite: the onus is on government to regulate items that are not necessary (and really, a green lawn is not particularly necessary to one’s survival, ability to hold down a job, or have a family) that cannot be proven to be safe and impact everyone around them. Think of it like recreational drugs: I think it’s any one person’s (of age) choice to take recreational substances, but I don’t think people have the right to smoke indoors at their workplace where other people are forced to also consume that drug.

Toxicology is an immensely complicated science (and I’m appalled at the difficulties researchers in that field have with obtaining funding). And the tricky part about it is that testing on pregnant women or small children is unethical. But I think just because something hasn’t been proven to be safe, doesn’t mean it is. And we need to balance the benefits that item brings us versus the potential costs–I don’t think a green lawn is really more important than our health.

Anyway, I’m happy to hear what you think!

I replied as follows. Continue reading »

Sep 072011
 

VIDEO – DESCRIPTION:

This election commercial was aired on Sun News Network during the Ontario general election of 2011 to promote the party’s 2011 election plank: Eliminate the Beer Sales Tax (B.S.T.).

Transcript “On Canada Day, 2010, the Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty quietly introduced the B.S.T.: a tax only on beers brewed in Ontario. There’s no B.S.T. on imported beer. A Freedom government will eliminate the B.S.T.. That will knock as much as five dollars and seventy-six cents off the price of a case of the many fine beers brewed right here in Ontario. Freedom Party. No B.S. …T.” Continue reading »