Jan 182017
 

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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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Jan 132017
 

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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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Jan 122017
 

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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).

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Nov 072016
 

radioAUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

At 12:20 PM, on The Tom McConnell Show (610AM CKTB, St. Catharines, Ontario), Paul McKeever, leader, Freedom Party of Ontario, was interviewed about Elections Ontario’s refusal to allow Freedom Party’s candidate to be on the ballot for the November 17, 2016 by-election in the riding of Niagara West-Glanbrook.

 

 

 

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Jul 272016
 

2016-07-27.submissions-thumbContents:

On July 27, 2016, Freedom Party of Ontario’s president and Chief Financial Officer, Robert Metz, testified at the London hearing of the Standing Committee on General Government in respect of Bill 201 (the Election Finances Statute Law Amendment Act, 2016). Among other things, the bill would place reduced limits on financial contributions to political parties, and provide larger parties (but not all parties) with a per-vote subsidy.

The Committee allowed Robert Metz only 10 minutes in which to make his oral submissions. Accordingly, this entry includes links both to Metz’s oral (i.e., spoken) submissions, and to the written submissions (complete with enclosures) that were provided to the Committee on behalf of Freedom Party of Ontario. FPO’s written submissions included four enclosures: two FPO issue papers (“Politics is Personal” [v. 2] and “About Freedom Party” [v. 2]), FPO’s “Multiply…or Divide?” pamphlet, and FPO’s “All About Ontario’s Political Tax Credits and Freedom Party” pamphlet.

Metz was responding to this version of the bill (Metz marked particularly important sections in bold): https://freedomparty.on.ca/archive/documents/2016/2016-07-27.bill-201-submissions-election-financing/BILL201-ElectionFinances-Statute Law Amendment Act.rtf Continue reading »

Sep 262014
 

2014-09-xx.fpnc-08Contents:
What Counts: Election 2014 by the numbers; FP candidates generate the debate in London-area election campaigns; London Media – Hits and Misses: City’s daily paper, the London Free Press, fails to inform voters about FP; Is 2013 by-election London West PC candidate Ali Chahbar bitter?; Expanded province-wide FP election coverage to follow; One (Freedom Party) number to call…519-681-3999. Continue reading »