Mar 292020
 

North America is now weeks into governmental measures to keep “non-essential” businesses closed and to keep people in their homes. Fears and anxiety caused by the initial hoardings of toilet paper and other goods now are having to share the stage with fears and anxiety caused by the inevitable deepening economic devastation caused by those measures.

Faced with the rise of the latter fears, politicians are beginning to worry. On one hand, they have told the populace that it is right for us all to sacrifice for the good of the people who are vulnerable to the disease caused, in some, by the Coronavirus: Covid-19. On the other hand, it is becoming increasingly obvious to all that the government’s shut-down of the economy is not practical. The question for politicians is: How do I now justify ending the governmental policy that I’ve already told everyone is the right and moral thing to do without being morally condemned for it? Alternatively, how do I justify not ending the shut-down without looking like I’m impractical? Continue reading »

Mar 262020
 

Pusateri’s is a Toronto retailer that is being attacked on social media for reportedly charging $30 for one package of Lysol disinfectant wipes. Critics of the decision to set that price call it an instance of “price gouging” – i.e., charging more than the usual price during a time of usual-supply and unusually-high demand – and condemn it morally. Asked to weigh-in on what Pusateri’s was doing, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was “furious”, exclaimed that the pricing was “absolutely disgusting”, and advised that his government was “gonna come after [“price gougers”] hard” using emergency powers he has given himself in response to the spread of the Coronavirus. “They’re done! They’re gonna be gone!”, he exclaimed, referring to Pusateri’s as a “bad actor”. He, and the self-righteous anti-“price gouging” scolds, should have been thanking Pusateri’s for performing an essential function. Continue reading »

Mar 222020
 

As the spread of the latest Coronavirus (SARS coronavirus 2, or “SARS-CoV-2”) continues, two purportedly opposing camps of policy wonks are forming, which I herein name “Dark-siders” and “Straddlers”. However, though their policy proposals differ, their respective proposals are founded upon the same ethical philosophy. For that reason, the policy proposals of the two camps ultimately will facilitate the same end. And, because the ethics underpinning their policies treats human nature as a thing to be defeated, rather than defended, their policies will be every bit as destructive as the illness they seek to address. There are collectivists who hope to take political advantage of the destruction caused by the government’s response to the Coronavirus. If the collectivists are to be thwarted – if individual freedom and capitalism are to prevail – the government must be careful to found its Coronavirus policies on a better ethical footing. It must come over to the Light-side. Continue reading »

May 312018
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On May 31, 2018, Tom McConnell (radio 610 CKTB AM / 1290 CJBK AM ) interviewed Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever in the run-up to Ontario’s June 7, 2018 provincial election. Among the questions McKeever was asked (and answered) were: Does FP have a costed platform?; What would you do about electricity in this province?; What about energy conservation programs?; Would you give a discount now and make consumers pay more later?; End the ban on incandescent lightbulbs?; What would your plans be for health care?; Is there anything in your platform re: mental health and addiction?; What would you do about the Beer Store, LCBO, and the proposed Ontario government pot-dealing monopoly?; Is there any agency, board, or commission that you would get rid of?; How many candidates are you running in this election?; Why aren’t you Freedom Party people under the PC banner, trying to effect change from within that party?; Would you re-write the Green Energy Act so that Ontario doesn’t pay more for electricity that Ontario sells it for?; Is the difference between the Freedom Party and the Libertarian party?; What are some of the other things in Freedom Party’s platform that you’d like people to be aware of (McKeever touches on issues such instruction in schools; policing and public safety at university speaking events; due process vs. workplace investigations)?; What is your party’s realistic goal in this election?; Would you be in favour of proportional representation?

NOTE: During the interview, McKeever quotes Ontario Libertarian Party leader Allen Small. Those quotations, together with a link to the source text, is provided here: Continue reading »

May 312018
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On the May 31, 2018 episode of Just Right, Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever and Just Right host (and Freedom Party of Ontario president/CFO) Robert Metz discussed the coming, June 7, 2018 Ontario provincial election, and how the Ontario PC Party has essentially consisted of echoing Liberal spending promises, refusing to balance the budget, and refusing to address serious social issues. In other words: they are alienating both fiscal conservatives and social conservatives, hoping that people will vote not for ideas, but for a party with a name that just happens to have the word “conservative” in it.

Regular listeners to Just Right will recognize the voice of Andrew Lawton (in one of the audio clips used in the episode) speaking at a Freedom Party of Ontario dinner in 2013 about his journey from associating with a party devoid of pro-freedom ideas (the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario) to a party that has and promotes the right ideas and policies. Lawton praises the courage of those who run for Freedom Party because it takes more courage to do that than to run with a bigger party devoid of pro-freedom ideas. Five years later, Lawton agreed – for the 2018 provincial election – to be the Progressive Conservative Party candidate for the riding of London West. McKeever and Metz discuss integrity.

Whole Episode:
Continue reading »

May 252018
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On May 22, 2018, the Craig Needles Show (radio AM980, London, Ontario) hosted a debate among the PC, Liberal, NDP, and Green Party candidates in the riding of London North Centre in advance of the June 7, 2018 Ontario provincial general election. FP leader Paul McKeever was not invited even though he was one of the candidates in the riding. Prior to the London North Centre debate, McKeever wrote to Needles, who said he’d call McKeever – after the debate – to set up an interview. The interview occurred on May 24, 2018.

One day later, Needles held a “Friday Round Table” discussion with a panel consisting of Cheryl Miller (who ran as the Ontario PC candidate in the riding of London Fanshawe in 2011), Conservative party staffer Nathan Caranci, and former PC candidate (in the 2013 London West by-election) Ali Chahbar. The three partisans weighed-in about who should be included in candidate debates during elections. Panelist Ali Chahbar – who McKeever had, during the London West by-election of 2013, questioned about Chahbar’s sympathies for the Liberal Party and Shariah law (Chahbar lost that election, arguably as a result; see Londoners alarmed by sudden emergence of info re: Ontario PC candidate, Ali Chahbar and McKeever debates Chahbar (in 2013) on Andy Oudman show) – asked his fellow Progressive Conservative panelists whether an exception should be made for a party’s leader, and he specifically mentioned FP leader Paul McKeever as an example (Chahbar, clearly, was aware that McKeever had been a guest of Needles’ show one day prior). Needles said that he was “quite comfortable” with his show’s decision to exclude candidates whose parties had not won at least 2% of the vote in the previous election because Elections Ontario uses 2% as the threshold (on a per-riding basis) for provincial funding (NOTE: FP had achieved over 2% in London North Centre in the 2014 election, but McKeever was excluded from the London North Centre debate nonetheless, rendering Needles’ excuse for excluding McKeever disingenuous or, at least, wilfully blind). The response from the all-PC panel: “NO!!”. Chahbar followed-up by saying (of course) that he agreed with their sentiment: FP’s candidate should not be permitted to participate in the on-air candidates’ debate. Caranci expressed his love for the fact that everyone on the panel was “shot out of a cannon today” to which the host says “yes, McKeever”, after having explained that he’d received a number of e-mails about McKeever’s exclusion from the debate.

The whole charade underscores the desperate measures to which Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives are willing to conspire and resort to smears to prevent the emergence of Freedom Party as a party known to the public, and as a competitor to the Ontario PC party. We think they doth protest too much.

Interview:

Continue reading »

May 242018
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On May 24, 2018, Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever was a guest of the Craig Needles Show (AM980, London, Ontario). Needles asked McKeever about Freedom Party’s election platform, including he party’s positions on balancing the budget, and on health care, electricity (unplugging wind and solar contracts), education (experiential learning and gender studies), London, Ontario’s Bus Rapid Transit (“BRT”) plan (McKeever and FP oppose provincial funding for it and oppose the plan itself) and more.

 

 

Interview:

Continue reading »

May 222018
 

“Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever today challenged candidates in the 4 London-area ridings (London North Centre, London Fanshawe, London West, and Elgin-Middlesex-London) to state clearly whether they are for or against the Bus Rapid Transit (“BRT”) plan, and whether they are in favour or opposed to provincial funding for the BRT…” Click here to read the full media release.