September 22, 2008 | In Uncategorized |
They’ve been making the headlines for a few days now… the candidates who openly and decisively show their principles… then get fired.
First there was Dana Larsen, the NDP candidate from West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, who was forced to resign due to previous involvement with drug culture. Then there was Kirk Tousaw, another NDP candidate from Vancouver—Quadra, who had to give up his nomination after videos surfaced of him smoking marijuana with drug legalization activist, Marc Emery.
Most recently, we’ve seen Chris Reid, the Conservative Party candidate from Toronto Centre, resigning his nomination after the exposure of several controversial articles on his blog, advocating the right to carry handguns and supporting private involvement in the Canadian health care system, among other issues.
My intention is not to defend these men… I don’t know enough about any of them to give a strong opinion, and since they are no longer candidates, their personal character traits are no longer particularly relevant. But it’s important to take note of the willingness of both the NDP and the Conservatives to brush aside and punish candidates who express principled opinions that are politically inconvenient.
Also please understand that I’m not trying to stick up for the Liberals here… when it comes to principled governance, their ship sailed away a long time ago.
But isn’t the NDP supposed to stick up for the rights of “the common people?” And shouldn’t Stephen Harper retain some of the principles of the Reform Party, under whose banner he was originally elected back in 1993?
Both Layton’s NDP and Harper’s Conservatives seem perfectly willing to suppress dissent, hoping to keep potential “problem politicians” out of office, even if it means losing a riding or two. This only substantiates Liberal MP, Keith Martin’s belief that our current parliamentary system is designed to keep MPs “stupid and busy,” preventing them from spearheading any real change.
As a libertarian, I am quite sympathetic to candidates who hold reformist views towards issues like drug legalization, gun rights, and choice in health care. Our country’s main political parties, however, seem to hold the exact opposite view.
To quote 1964 U.S. presidential candidate, Barry Goldwater, “extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.” That’s the message we should be giving to our politicians.
