election finances – Freedom Party of Ontario Archive

Paul McKeever and Robert Metz on Just Right: What is the alternative to the Liberals?

Feb 232018

radio AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On February 23, 2018, Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever and Just Right host (and Freedom Party of Ontario president/CFO) Robert Metz discussed what makes Liberal governance Liberal, and what an alternative to the Liberals requires. They discussed how replacing the Ontario Liberals with Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives would not cause any substantive change at all to the governance of the province.

Topics include what the Liberals have done to Ontario over the last 15 years of their rule; the bigoted, socialist history of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party; and a comparison between how life in Ontario would be in 2022 if, in the June 7, 2018 provincial election, Freedom government were elected instead of a Progressive Conservative government.

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Robert Metz on The Andrew Lawton Show political party financing and electoral reform

All, FPO Featured

Jan 272017

radio AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On January 27, 2017, on The Andrew Lawton Show (CFPL AM 980, London, Ontario), Robert Metz, president and CFO of Freedom Party of Ontario, was interviewed by host Andrew Lawton about changes to the way political parties are financed in Ontario, and about proposals to replace Ontario’s first past the post electoral system with a system of proportional representation.

Lawton and Metz first discussed Ontario provincial Bill 2 (the Election Finances Statute Law Amendment Act, 2016), which simultaneously gives the Liberal, Progressive Conservative, NDP, and Green Parties millions of taxpayer dollars, annually, while imposing a barrier to the private funding of political parties (specifically, lowering the maximum contribution to $1,200 per annum, down from over $9,000.00 per annum). Metz explained that the bill takes away the public’s power over political parties because the government pays the bigger four parties out of tax revenue, regardless of whether those parties are representing the views of the public. The bill handicaps independent candidates too. The bill isn’t about funding elections: it’s about funding the biggest political parties year after year so that they can keep a lock on power, and prevent any emerging parties from competing with them. The law also violates freedom of association: it prohibits a party leader from attending his or her own fundraising events. Metz explained that one of the other purposes of the legislation is to allow political parties to spy on one another, and their contributors. Overall, said Metz, the new law “closes the door to the democratic process.”

After discussing the financing of political parties, Lawton and Metz turned to the issue of electoral reform. Metz explained that although Freedom Party might benefit a bit from a switch from our current “first past the post” system to a system of proportional representation, Freedom Party is against a switch to proportional representation. The Westminster model should be considered “sacred” said Metz. Freedom Party is in favour of principled governance, which is undermined by the minority government that results from proportional representation.

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Paul McKeever on The Tom McConnell Show re: New Taxpayer Funding of the Liberals, PCs, and NDP

All, FPO Featured

Jan 182017

radio AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On January 18, 2017, Freedom Party leader Paul McKeever was a guest of The Tom McConnell Show (1290 AM CJBK, London, Ontario, and and CKTB-AM 610 St. Catharines, Ontario) and was interviewed about the passage of the new Ontario provincial Bill 2 (the Election Finances Statute Law Amendment Act, 2016). McKeever explained that all present MPPs from all three parties in the Ontario provincial Legislature – including Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown and NDP leader Andrea Horwath – voted unanimously in favour of giving their parties a taxpayer funded allowance that, over the next four years, will pay the Liberals, PCs, and NDP the lion’s share of over $47M.

McKeever explained that one false pretext for the allowance was that the elimination of corporate and union contributions, and the lowering of the individual contribution limit to $1,200.00, will result in a reduction in funding to the parties, and that the allowance is to make up for the short fall. That pretext is false, because – for the Liberals, PCs, and NDP – the amount of the allowance is far greater than the amounts they were able to earn from total voluntary contributions.

McKeever explained that another false pretext for the allowance is that the parties need enough money to pay for the election in a way that will make democracy sufficiently vibrant. That pretext is false, explained McKeever, because the limit on election spending is 80 cents per elector, but the amount of the allowance being paid the Liberals, PCs and NDP is several times the 80 cent limit: they are paying themselves far more than they would need to finance their entire election campaigns on taxpayer funds.

McKeever explained that the new legislation essentially puts a $10 price tag on each ballot. McKeever argued that Canadian soldiers have fought and died to maintain democracy in Canada, which includes not having to pay to vote. We’ve already paid for the ballots with the blood of Canadian soldiers and that of Canada’s allies.

McKeever explained that, by giving the Liberals, PCs, NDP and Greens an allowance (the Liberals, PCs, and NDP have excluded all other parties – the Greens excepted – from getting an allowance, yet all parties are having their contribution limits lowered anyway…which amounts to a 25% reduction in private, voluntary funding to Freedom Party, based upon 2014 figures), MPPs will have less need to be accountable to the general public. With the government paying them the money they need, MPPs can ignore the demands of their parties’ voluntary contributors.

McKeever condemned the allowance as anti-freedom, anti-democratic, and an attempt by the Liberals, PCs, and NDP to ally with one another to prevent competition from other, emerging political parties. He said that Freedom Party is opposed to funding political parties with taxpayer dollars and would work to end the taxpayer funding of all political parties.

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Scott Williams-Oakes on ‘Vox Pop’ re: Per-vote Subsidy to Some Political Parties

All, FPO Call-in

Jan 132017

radio AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On January 13, 2017, on The Tom McConnell Show’s ‘Vox Pop’ segment (1290 AM CJBK, London, Ontario, and and CKTB-AM 610 St. Catharines, Ontario), Freedom Party of Ontario supporter Scott Williams-Oakes (a.k.a. “The Brick Wall”) advised McConnell’s listeners about the per-vote subsidy that taxpayers must pay to the Liberal, Progressive Conservative, NDP, and Green Parties (all other political parties receive no subsidy and have had their private contribution limits slashed). The subsidy, and the limits on contributions to smaller parties, are the result of the passage of Ontario provincial Bill 2 (the Election Finances Statute Law Amendment Act, 2016).

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Robert Metz on ‘London At Large’ re: Political Party Financing Changes (Bill 2)

All, FPO Featured

Jan 122017

radio AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On January 12, 2017, on London At Large (1290 AM CJBK, London, Ontario), Robert Metz, president and CFO of Freedom Party of Ontario, was interviewed by host Al Coombs about Ontario provincial Bill 2 (the Election Finances Statute Law Amendment Act, 2016), which simultaneously gives the Liberal, Progressive Conservative, NDP, and Green Parties millions of taxpayer dollars, annually, while imposing a barrier to the private funding of political parties (specifically, lowering the maximum contribution to $1,200 per annum, down from over $9,000.00 per annum).

Listen to the interview:

Robert Metz on The Tom McConnell Show re: political party funding

All, FPO Call-in

Jun 082011

radio AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

On The Tom McConnell Show (1290AM CJBK, London, Ontario and 610AM CKTB, St. Catharines, Ontario) Robert Metz, president, Freedom Party of Ontario, called in to join the discussion about the way in which political parties are funded. It was clear to Metz that most other callers held mistaken assumptions about the nature of political parties and how they are funded. Metz explained the situation at the Ontario provincial level. Metz explained that private contributors to Ontario political parties can claim a limited tax credit, meaning that they can reduce their own provincial tax payable, but only if they actually have tax payable to the province. He explained, more generally and as a matter of principle, that political parties – whether federal or provincial – are private organizations that should not receive any funding from the government (at the time, large federal parties were being paid a per vote allowance in addition to private contributions from individuals).

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Metz Excerpt:

Entire Recording: