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Saturday, September 27, 2008

Libertarian Party leader uses free CBC airtime to take on Harper’s record

In accordance with the Canada Elections Act, the CBC offers candidates free time broadcasts. Libertarian Party leader Dennis Young was in the CBC studio in Calgary on Friday to produce two-minute and 30-second TV and radio spots. The spots will begin airing on Monday, but the Western Standard has received a copy of the scripts.

Young uses his TV and radio ads to take aim at Stephen Harper's record and says the Prime Minister is not a conservative.

Here's the two-minute script:

Dennis Young – Two Minute Script

I’m Dennis Young, leader of the Libertarian Party. I’m running against Stephen Harper in Calgary South West to contrast the Conservative record against our agenda for economic and personal liberty.

When Harper was a Reform MP, he fought against the over-regulation of safe, natural healthcare products. Now that he’s in power, he no longer cares about freedom of choice in healthcare, and instead introduced legislation that would put the government in control of herbal supplements.

Harper has ignored millions of average Canadians and even members of his own caucus who believe our marijuana laws are unjust, unfair and need changing. Harper’s plan for a Bush-style war on drugs will fill our prisons with non-violent marijuana users and escalate the violence on our streets.

Ignoring the advice of economists and tax experts, Harper has been tinkering with the GST. This is political opportunism, not good tax policy. The Libertarian Party would introduce a low, flat income and corporate tax that would make our tax system fairer, simpler and more efficient.

On April 5, 1995, Stephen Harper was the only Reform MP to support Bill C-68, the legislation that created the firearms registry. This legislation has made criminals out of thousands of law-abiding farmers and hunters. The registry must be scrapped, but can Harper really be trusted to do this?

The Libertarian Party will fight to keep abortion safe and legal, but we also feel a compromise is needed to ensure that the deeply held views of pro-life Canadians are respected. If elected, I will work to protect the freedom of conscience of pro-life medical workers and taxpayers by getting the federal government out of the abortion business.

The Libertarian Party believes Canadians can be trusted with economic and personal liberty. If you share our vision for Canada, vote for the Libertarian Party.

And here's the 30-second script:

Dennis Young - 30-second Script

I’m Dennis Young, leader of the Libertarian Party. As a former soldier and policeman, I bring real world experience and conservative values to my campaign against Stephen Harper in Calgary South West.

Harper broke his promise to seniors to not tax income trusts; he’s responsible for creating the biggest and most wasteful government in Canadian history; and he actually voted for the national firearms registry.

Stephen Harper is not a conservative.

Vote for economic and personal liberty. Vote for the Libertarian Party.

Dennis_young_cbc_final_3

(Picture: Libertarian Party leader Dennis Young at the CBC studio in Calgary)

Posted by Matthew Johnston on September 27, 2008 in Canadian Politics | Permalink

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Comments

No, Stephen Harper is not a conservative...he's a Neo-Con, just like Bush. While the left has a proven track record of deceit and incompetence, the "new" right has on its agenda the steady deterioration of our rights and freedoms.
There really are no good choices among the "old gaurd" anymore, and the lesser of two evils is still evil. If you can't vote Libertarian...don't vote at all.
Dennis Young is a proponent of a return to conservative / libertarian values. For more background on the subject I'd recommend reading the British North America Act ot the Constitution of the United Sates of America.
As opposed to say, the Charter of (non) Freedoms and (non) Rights.

Posted by: JC | 2008-09-27 6:56:23 AM


Yeah right,JC, whatever.

Terrible thing to have the Harper Conservatives giving us things like safer streets by getting tough on crime, cutting taxes and letting us keep some of our money and some good old fashioned honesty and straight talk as opposed to gobbledygook and outright lies.

BTW, not even close to a majority of seniors were affected by the Income Trust change, that's a lie. Again, the Liberals will use seniors as fodder to trump up their stories any time they they can.

Posted by: Liz J | 2008-09-27 7:29:25 AM


BTW, not even close to a majority of seniors were affected by the Income Trust change, that's a lie. Again, the Liberals will use seniors as fodder to trump up their stories any time they they can.

Posted by: Liz J | 27-Sep-08 7:29:25 AM


So can I assume that you approve of this Harper policy of lies?

Posted by: JC | 2008-09-27 7:58:42 AM


You may consider it lies when a politician has to change his mind in he best interest of all Canadians, most of us do not. It's over-the-top to say Harper has a policy of lies on anything, he does not.

Posted by: Liz J | 2008-09-27 8:17:07 AM


Actually Liz, that last post may be a little unfair to you. I'm all for getting tough on crime. I'm all for a return to a system of justice.
But if by getting tough on crime we mean putting teenagers in jail for smoking a little grass, then I have to depart from any faith in Harper's getting tough on crime approach.
The problem there isn't the teenagers, its isn't even the gangs. The gangs are a symptom, not a cause. The cause is prohibition. Al Capone did very well under the prohibition of alcohol. Without that prohibion Chicago would not have suffered the turf wars and murders that it did.
The murder rate in the US in the 30s (?) dropped by a huge percentage when the prohibition on alcohol was lifted.
As for income trusts...whether it affected seniors in particular or not is a moot point.
The fact is Harper did a complete about face on that policy, along with the gun registration and same sex marriage (to name a couple) than what it was he ran his campaign on.
I lost faith and trust in Harper within a year of his taking office and I had actively campaigned for the PC's at the time.

Posted by: JC | 2008-09-27 8:18:31 AM


Good point JC: If you believe that prohibition causes violence, as has been proven, then you'd view Harper as a catalyst for violence. He increases the danger on our streets.

Posted by: attitude | 2008-09-27 9:55:34 AM


"Libertarian Party leader uses free CBC airtime to take on Harper’s record"

It's not exactly 'free' airtime on the CBC, now is it?

Posted by: Zebulon Pike | 2008-09-27 10:29:25 AM


Good point JC: If you believe that prohibition causes violence, as has been proven, then you'd view Harper as a catalyst for violence. He increases the danger on our streets.

Posted by: attitude | 27-Sep-08 9:55:34 AM


Thanks attitude.
Not Harper in particular so much as the system in general. He is also a symptom of a greater wrong.
Any system of government that makes it its business to rob all of us and tell us how to live in a so called "free" country has way overstepped its mandate of protecting our liberties. I don't think the government needs to "do something" about it either, rather they (or we) need to UNdo a lot of things. These guys are totally off their leash and giving them even more control is going to lead us to catastrophe.

Posted by: JC | 2008-09-27 10:35:25 AM


Um...free air time? Wouldn't that be considered a political donation by a corporation?

Btw, what is the Libertarian Party's stance on the CRTC and the CBC?

Posted by: libertybelle | 2008-09-27 10:41:51 AM


JC, you make a very good case and I do agree with you although I consider myself a conservative - at least what used to be conservative.

Liz, I can understand your opinion of the Liberals and NDP which I share. I cannot however understand blind support for the CPC in light of clear evidence. It is not to say that Harper or the CPC are all evil, but we should be able to recognise that they do not practise conservatism. Of the three major parties not one of time is for reducing the size of government and control of the people. Based on observation I have to classify all three as collectivist welfare statists with the only difference being in the speed of implementation. I do wish it were otherwise but I cannot pretend that it is.

Posted by: Alain | 2008-09-27 12:25:56 PM


Sorry I meant to type - not one of them instead of not one of time.

Posted by: Alain | 2008-09-27 12:28:39 PM


JC, you make a very good case and I do agree with you although I consider myself a conservative - at least what used to be conservative.

Based on observation I have to classify all three as collectivist welfare statists with the only difference being in the speed of implementation. I do wish it were otherwise but I cannot pretend that it is.

Posted by: Alain | 27-Sep-08 12:25:56 PM

Thanks Alain,
I think you'll find that the majority of Libertarians are ex conservatives or fence sitting conservatives. I've yet to meet one who comes from a Liberal (present tense) NDP or Green background. And the reason for this is that the two philosophies are very closely aligned.
Like you I was very (c)onservative in my views and like you I've come to see that the
(C)onservatives are now a socialist / collectivist outfit and I can no longer support them. I had real hope for the small c conservative movement when Harper took office and was very much heart broken and disappointed when he showed his true colors. He's a Bay Street boy, not an Alberta boy.
So with the New Conservatives expanding (socialist) government, The Liberals being dangerously corrupt and stupid, The NDP being obviously socialist, if not outright communist, and the Greens completely insane...who the hell do I vote for?
Think I'll end up saving some overtaxed gas and mow my lawn instead.
Have a good one.

Posted by: JC | 2008-09-27 12:39:55 PM


He gets valuable airtime and leads with the over-regulation of natural health care products!
And then comes out in favor of tax shelters. Sorry, income trusts.
Underwhelming to say the least.

Posted by: Craig | 2008-09-27 9:26:29 PM


Libertarian Party

...change your name man, sounds like a cult!

Posted by: tomax7 | 2008-09-27 9:38:30 PM



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