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: Separating Public Schools and Organized Religious Practice.

Transcript: “Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals are now allowing organized prayer services in Ontario’s public schools during class. Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives say they’ll do nothing to stop it. That’s because PC leader Tim Hudak is now quietly committed to faith-based public schools. [Tim Hudak]: ‘Choice, but within our public school system’. A Freedom government will say ‘no’ to faith-based public schools. Reading, writing, and arithmetic. Freedom Party.” Continue reading »

Sep 072011
 

During the 2011 election, Freedom Party of Ontario released its election platform one plank at a time, beginning October 12, 2010 (Affordable Electricity). The 18th and final plank (Separating Public Schools and Organized Religious Practice) was released on August 2, 2011. Each plank was announced with a media release, and each plank release was accompanied by the release of a pre-election commercial that was viewable only on the web. Each plank release was also accompanied by an audio recording, available only on the web, of Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever reading the plank for the voter’s convenience. Freedom Party maintained a 2011 Election Platform web page. As each plank was released, a link to the plank was added to the Platform page. On September 7, 2011 – the day that the election writ was dropped for the 2011 Ontario provincial election – Freedom Party released its 2011 election platform as the world’s first-ever election platform audiobook.

HTML (web) version: https://freedomparty.on.ca/archive/elections/2011/platform/2011electionplanks.htm
AUDIOBOOK version: https://freedomparty.on.ca/archive/elections/2011/platform/2011-09-07.fpo-2011-platform-audiobook.m4b

Sep 072011
 

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever reads Freedom Party of Ontario’s 2011 election platform in its entirety. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first election platform ever released by anyone in audiobook format.

This audiobook places each plank in a separate chapter, for ease of navigation. Compatible with Apple iTunes, iPhone/iPod/iPad, and other smart phones/tablets. Continue reading »

Aug 092011
 

updates-blog-entryAugust 9, 2011 – The St. Thomas Times-Journal (SunMedia/Canoe) today ran a big story today about Freedom Party of Ontario’s stand on making wine and beer sales legal in convenience/variety stores and grocery stores. The Liberals, NDP, and PCs are not in favour, but 60% of the Ontario public is. The story also features responses from the LCBO and the Ontario Ministry of Finance. Click here to read the article. Don’t forget to share it with your friends and acquaintances. And be sure to send a brief (3 to 5 sentence) letter to the Editor, expressing your views about the story, and the issue. You can submit your letter to the editor of the St. Thomas Time-Journal here. Continue reading »

Aug 062011
 

August 6, 2011 – Columnist Ian McCallum at the St. Thomas Times-Journal’s (SunMedia/Canoe), in his Saturday, August 6, 2011 City Scope column, has selected his quote of the week. Excerpt:

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“We want to have schools where the focus of education is reading, writing and arithmetic . . . we think we should leave divine revelation to the churches, the synagogues and the mosques.”

Freedom Party leader and Elgin-Middlesex-London candidate Paul McKeever in an interview this week with the T-J to unveil the party’s final plank for the fall provincial vote.

Be sure to bookmark and read the St. Thomas Times-Journal which, so far, appears more committed to local coverage of the Ontario election than most other newspapers in the province. Paul McKeever is Freedom Party of Ontario’s candidate in the riding of Elgin-Middlesex-London, which includes St. Thomas, so the St. Thomas Times-Journal may also prove to be a valuable news source about province-wide issues discussed by Ontario’s political party leaders as election day (October 6, 2011) approaches.

Aug 032011
 

August 3, 2011 – The St. Thomas Times-Journal (SunMedia/Canoe) today ran a large and well-researched story today about the release, yesterday, of Freedom Party of Ontario’s “Separating Public Schools and Organized Religious Practice” plank. Writer Nick Lypaczewski sought comments about the plank from the Progressive Conservative candidate running against Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever in the riding of Elgin-Middlesex-London, and spoke to a superintendent of education with the Greater Essex County District School Board about its “pilot” project to teach public school children in Arabic. Click here to read the article. Don’t forget to share it with your friends and acquaintances. And be sure to send a brief (3 to 5 sentence) letter to the Editor, expressing your views about the story, and the issue. You can submit your letter to the editor of the St. Thomas Time-Journal here. Continue reading »

Aug 022011
 

VIDEO – DESCRIPTION:

This video was released to promote the party’s 2011 election plank: Separating Public Schools and Organized Religious Practice.

Commercial #1, Transcript: “In Toronto, public schools are holding prayer services on school property during school hours. In Windsor, Ontario, public schools are teaching Muslim students in Arabic. There are reports that some of Ontario’s public schools refuse to serve any meat that is not prepared according to Islamic law. Religion is a private matter. A Freedom government will separate religious practice and public eduation immediately. Freedom Party.”

Commercial #2, Transcript: “The following message is authorized by Freedom Party of Ontario. Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives are at it again. In 2007, they said they wanted to make taxpayers subsidize faith based private schools. [John Tory]: ‘You know, it’s still called the theory of evolution’. [John Tory]: ‘Fund all faiths…’. [Tim Hudak]: ‘I supported, for example, the tax credit we had for independent schools.’ Now the Progressive Conservatives are quietly planning to create faith-based public schools. [Tim Hudak]: ‘Create competition and choice, but within our public school system’. Say ‘no’ to faith-based funding. On October 6, 2011, say ‘no’ to Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives.”

Commercial #3, Transcript: “Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals are now allowing organized prayer services in Ontario’s public schools during class. Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives say they’ll do nothing to stop it. That’s because PC leader Tim Hudak is now quietly committed to faith-based public schools. [Tim Hudak]: ‘Choice, but within our public school system’. A Freedom government will say ‘no’ to faith-based public schools. Reading, writing, and arithmetic. Freedom Party.” Continue reading »

Aug 022011
 

“Ontario’s Liberal and Progressive Conservative parties have refused to do anything to prevent Ontario’s public schools from being used for religious purposes: the distribution of religious texts, organized prayer, etc.. Freedom Party today is blaming Liberal-Conservative inaction on both a 2009 Liberal mandate that facilitates such measures, and a deliberately understated plan by Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives to give parents religious school options within Ontario’s public school system…”. Click here to read the full media release.