Radio – Page 19 – Freedom Party of Ontario Archive

The Conviction of Jim Keegstra (1985): Collectivism & Censorship

Jul 251985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On July 25, 1985, Wayne McLean and Ann Robel, hosts of “Hotline” (Radio 98, London, Ontario) held a 2-hour radio discussion with Jim Keegstra, who had just been convicted in Alberta on a criminal hate speech violation: he had been sentenced to pay a fine of $5,000.00. Keegstra denied several widely accepted historical accounts of what happened in Hitler’s Germany, and believed that Jewish people – as a collective/group – were involved in a conspiracy to take over the world. Keegstra had been a mayor and a school teacher. After spending some time interviewing Keegstra, Keegstra stayed on the line as the show took calls from listeners in the London area, including Freedom Party president Robert Metz and Marc Emery (Action Director). Metz pointed out that both Keegstra and his opponents were making the same mistake: essentially judging people as a collective (in this case, Jewish people). He pointed out that such collectivism and suppression of speech were exactly the sorts of things that Hitler used to oppress Jews and others, and that gave rise to the second world war. Emery – who had personally interviewed Holocaust survivors and published their accounts in his publications, including the London Metrobulletin – explained that although he rejected Keegstra’s claims, he thought it important for every individual – right or wrong – to be free to express his or her views. He also pointed out that law enforcement tends to apply censorship laws not against big media companies, but against individuals with limited financial means of defending themselves.

Five (and, again 11) years later, the Supreme Court of Canada would reject Keegstra’s challenge to the constitutionality of Canada’s criminal law against the wilful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group. He received a one-year suspended sentence, one year of probation, and community service. Keegstra died in Alberta on June 2, 2014.

Excerpts (McLean, Robel and Emery, Metz):

Censorship: Radical Feminism versus Depictions of Sex

All, FPO Call-in

Jul 231985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:
On or about April 23, 1985, the federal Special Committee on Pornography and Prostitution (also known as the “Fraser Committee”) released a report of its findings (the committee had been formed in June of 1983, and held hearings across Canada beginning in December of 1983; it held a hearing in London, Ontario on February 9, 1984). The London Status of Women Action Group was a radical feminist – i.e., cultural Marxist – group in London in the early 1980s, and had actively campaigned in favour of banning pornography. With respect to depictions of sexual activity in magazines or movies, virtually all such depictions were rejected by LSWAG as depictions of female degradation and violence against women.

On July 23, 1985, Radio 98 talk show host Wayne McLean began his show by interviewing the then-president of LSWAG, Judith Moses. Thereafter, McLean took calls from listeners in London, including Freedom Party of Ontario president Robert Metz, who shared an interesting fact about a study about men and what they find attractive or repulsive in sex between a man and a woman (the results were regularly being misrepresented by radical feminists, so as to leave the impression that men are attracted to non-consensual sex with women).

NOTE: This recording was captured from a cassette tape that had been in storage for over 30 years. The first 20 minutes of the tape suffers from increasing audio distortion, but the distortion disappears thereafter.

Excerpt (Metz)

Gord Mood on open shop unions

All, FPO Call-in

Jul 081985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:
According to notes taken by Lloyd Walker, this call-in to a CBC (Toronto) talk radio program by Freedom Party’s Gord Mood occurred in the summer of 1985. According to the notes, the CBC host was taking calls in response to a discussion about the National Citizens’ Coalition (NCC) and unions. Mood favours open shop unions to closed shop ones, and employees getting paid according to the value of their labour.

Complete Recording

Marc Emery on dealing with hostage takers in Beirut (1985)

All, FPO Call-in

Jun 141985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:
According to notes taken by Lloyd Walker, this call-in to Wayne McLean’s talk radio program on Radio 98 (London, Ontario) by Freedom Party Action Director Marc Emery occurred in the summer of 1985. It concerns what should be done about hostage takers in Beirut, Lebanon. Quite probably – given the content of the discussion – it concerns the June 14, 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847 by members of Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad shortly after take off from Athens. Marc argues that force must be met with force when the hostage takers will not respond to rational discourse.

Complete Recording

Gord Mood versus David Peterson on Minimum Wage Laws

All, FPO Call-in

Jun 121985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On June 12, 1985, David Peterson (then leader of the Ontario Liberal Party and premier-in-waiting) was a guest of the Wayne McLean talk show. Topics covered: taxpayer funding for the Pan-Am Games; facilities for women; contracts with hospital workers; extra-billing for health care services; Ontario Hydro debt; funding for Catholic high schools; de-indexing of pensions; beer and wine in corner stores; a bill on status Indians; difference between the Liberals and NDP; minimum wage laws; tuition fees and high grades needed to attend university; and a domed stadium for Toronto.

At the 36:15 point in the recording, Freedom Party of Ontario’s Gord Mood calls in and asks for difference between Liberals and NDP. Peterson says that the NDP are socialists and the Liberals are not. He then asks Gord the difference between the socialists and Premier Miller. Mood replies that Miller apparently has caved-in to the radical left within and without of his party. Gord then asks about wanting to work for less than the minimum wage: is it better for him not to work than to work at less than the minimum? Peterson says that Gord seems to be trying to catch him in a logical trap.

Gord Mood Excerpt:

Marc Emery and Robert Metz versus Gord Hume and London’s 1991 Pan Am Games Bid Committee

All, FPO Featured

Jun 071985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:
Following Freedom Party’s successful effort to oppose taxpayer funding for London’s bid to host the 1991 Pan Am Games, the London Bid Committee met with the Mayor of London to canvas ways in which to save the bid. Among the options proposed by the Bid Committee was to have the federal government commit to contribute $37M after the end of the federal government’s five-year games-funding moratorium.

Wayne McLean, host of AM980’s show Hotline, asked his listeners if they want the Bid Committee to continue its efforts to host the 1991 Pan Am Games. McLean invited Freedom Party Action Director Marc Emery for his view on the question. Thereafter, McLean had Bid Committee Chair Gord Hume in-studio to discuss the status of the Bid Committee’s effort and to field calls from listeners. One of those callers was Freedom Party president Robert Metz, who also was Chair of the No Tax for Pan Am Committee. After pointing out to Hume the large number of polls in London indicating that the taxpayer does not want to fund the games, Hume played the smear card, saying that Metz is president of a “radical right wing” political party, as though that were an answer to the public’s condemnation of the Bid Committee’s aims. Metz’s point was reinforced at the end of the show, when listeners were polled: 20 of the 29 people who called in said that the Bid Committee did not have their support. Ultimately, the Bid Committee failed to get the government money that it wanted.

Marc Emery Excerpt

Robert Metz Excerpt

Complete Recording

Marc Emery on the defeat of London’s 1991 Pan Am Games bid

All, FPO Featured

Jun 051985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:
On June 5, 1985, the Canadian federal government announced that there would be no more federal funding of organized sports events until at least 1990. Freedom Party Action Director Marc Emery and Robert Metz’s No Tax for Pan Am Committee (a committee formed by Freedom Party) had steadily opposed taxpayer funding for London’s bid to host the 1991 Pan Am Games. Flyers and newsletters had been distributed throughout London, and numerous radio and TV appearances of Emery, Metz, and other No Tax for Pan Am activists had tipped popular opinion against taxpayer funding for the games. The federal decision effectively killed the London Bid Committee’s bid to have London host the 1991 Pan Am Games (the London bid committee was comprised largely of local business owners and building contractors who hoped to make a lot of money as a result of taxpayer funding for such things as the building of sports arenas).

On the evening of June 5, 1985, AM980’s Sports Call program interviewed three pro-bid individuals (London East Member of Parliment Jim Jepson; Darwin Semotiuk of the London Bid Committee; and London City Controller Joe Fontana who later would be a London MP, and a London Mayor*), followed by Marc Emery. During their respective interviews, Fontana predicted that the federal government’s decision would be very unpopular, but Emery predicted it would be popular. Thereafter, the program asked listeners to call in and indicate whether they were for or against the federal government’s decision not to fund the games. Emery was right: 74% of callers supported the federal government’s decision not to fund the games with taxpayer money.

*NOTE: In 2014, Joe Fontana resigned as City Mayor after he was found guilty of three fraud-related offences for forging an expense document in 2005 that resulted in a $1,700 government fraud

Marc Emery Excerpt

Complete Recording

Freedom vs. Feminism: Marc Emery vs. Heidi Strasser

All, FPO Panelist

May 031985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

In 1985, Heidi Strasser was a London area radical feminist and a representative of the London Status of Women Action Group (LSWAG). In the early eighties, LSWAG ran campaigns to ban or otherwise censor the wide range of things it considered “pornography”. As a result, in those years, pornography “dominated the news” in London (in the words of then talk radio host Wayne McLean).

On May 3, 1985, McLean dedicated two hours of his radio program to the issue of feminism versus individual freedom. His guests were Strasser, and then Freedom Party of Ontario Action Director Marc Emery, who opposed censorship.

NOTES: This recording – including the introduction by Freedom Party’s Murray Hopper, which was not part of the original broadcast but was added by Freedom Party – was featured at page four of Issue 5 of “Freedom Flyer”, Freedom Party of Ontario’s newsletter as one of Freedom Party’s “Hear the Voice of Freedom” audio cassette series. This recording was #3 in that series.

Ontario Election: London North candidates debate on Radio 98 (April, 1985)

All, FPO Featured

Apr 211985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:
At least 2 Sundays prior to the May 2, 1985 polling date of the Ontario general election, radio station AM980 (London, Ontario) hosted a half-hour all candidates debate for candidates in the riding of London North, including Freedom Party candidate Rob Smeenk, and the PC, NDP, and Liberal candidates.

Listen to the entire debate:

Robert Metz and Marc Emery on London’s Taxpayer-funded 1991 Pan Am Games Bid

All, FPO Featured

Feb 041985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:
On February 4, 1985, Darwin Semotiuk (member of London’s 1991 Pan Am Games Bid Committee) and Marc Emery (Freedom Party’s Action Director) were guests of the Wayne McLean Talk Show. The topic: taxpayer funding for London, Ontario’s bid for the 1991 Pan Am Games. McLean first interviews Semotiuk, who fields calls including a rather spirited call from Freedom Party president Robert Metz. Thereafter, Emery is interviewed and fields calls from various other London callers to the program.

Excerpt – Robert Metz vs. Darwin Semotiuk:

Complete Recording

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