Libertarian joins city race

Election Notebook by Dan Hilborn
Published June 16, 2004


Government should get out of the business of trying to run people's lives, says Adam Desaulniers, the 31-year-old Libertarian Party candidate running in the Burnaby-Douglas riding.

"Basically, we want government out of every sphere of influence where it does not protect fundamental rights," Desaulniers told the Burnaby Now this week. "What we want is a government that is only interested in making sure people leave each other alone."

While most people have never even heard of the Libertarian Party, it is in fact one of the oldest political ideas in North America. The Oxford Canadian Dictionary describes a libertarian as "an advocate of liberty, especially, of an almost absolute freedom of expression and action," or "a believer in free will."

It's an idea that Desaulniers first encountered during the 1988 election when he went with his parents to listen to an all- candidate's debate.

"The Libertarian had the crowd in his hand," said Desaulniers, who remembered someone in the audience asking about selling bulk water exports to the United States. "His (the Libertarian candidate's) line was "I don't see what the problem is. Millions of litres of flow into the ocean every day.

"Sure it rankled the socialist crowd, but I couldn't think of a wittier rejoinder."

Working as a computer programmer, Desaulniers said he sees the effects of over-regulation every day. For example, new technology means that someone in Bangalore can now use instant messaging to work for a company in Vancouver. "That's the kind of thing that Canada needs to play up. Government needs to get out of the way of that. Government needs to get out of the way of someone doing the same job for far less.

"We should make government more like the network," he said. "On the network, people try to exercise control and it never works, because you can' control user behaviour and you can't restrict information.

"On the web, you can see the free-for-all, you can see the best and worst of people. That's libertarianism in action. On the web, there's no practical way to coerce people's behaviour. If you try to control them, they go elsewhere."

SHEILA COPPS IN TOWN

Former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps is coming to Burnaby today to show her support for Burnaby-Douglas Liberal candidate Mary Pynenburg.

The high-profile visit comes just one week after finance minister Ralph Goodale came through town, as local Liberals try to reverse the perception that their party is running a lacklustre campaign.

Copps, a former Liberal leadership candidate, lost the nomination in her home riding of Hamilton late last year, and was rumoured to have considered switching to the NDP prior to the election call. "I'm very pleased that Sheila is coming out to support my campaign," Pynenburg said Tuesday morning. "I have a lot of respect for Sheila and it's wonderful she's coming out to support our B.C. candidates."

Copps and Pynenburg will be mainstreeting in front of the Crystal Mall, at the corner of Willingdon and Kingsway, at 1 p.m., today, June 16.

CONSERVATIVE HITS BACK

Conservative candidate George Drazenovic is hitting back after bearing the brunt of some NDP criticism for his response to a question about immigration made on an open air radio station earlier this month

On Thursday, Drazenovic issued a press release that accused NDP hopeful Bill Siksay of mudslinging and insulting his family.

"I was stunned by the NDP candidate's allegations against me," Drazenovic said in the press release. "This is a deeply personal issue for me - my parents are immigrants, many of my closest friends and colleagues are immigrants.

"For him to suggest that I believe in anything other than an open and inviting immigration policy while supporting family reunification is mudslinging of the worst kind and simply not true. Perhaps the NDP candidate should stick to the facts until he gains a better understanding of our policies, the immigrant community and what matters most to them.

"I would like the think the NDP candidate did not mean to insult my family. We are certainly determined to rise above such uncalled- for accusations."

According to his website, Drazenovic was born in Vancouver and his parents both hail from Croatia.

THE HOMELESS PROBLEM

Burnaby-New Westminster NDP candidate Peter Julian is knocking the Liberals for their lack of action on affordable housing in a press release that claimed New Westminster has the worst homelessness rate in the Lower Mainland.

In the statement issued May 30, Julian said a 2002 GVRD study showed that New Westminster had 69 homeless people out of a total population of 54,656 - a worse ratio than in Vancouver or Burnaby. He also raised the alarm over statistics that show almost 14 per cent of families in his riding are spending more than 70 per cent of their income on housing.

"This isn't a crisis in the making - it's already there and being ignored by the Martin Liberals and made worse by the Campbell Liberals," said Julian, who added the Conservatives would only make the problem worse with their promise of a 25 per cent tax cut across the board.

"Families in our communities have heard this promise before and are now living with the consequences," Julian said. "Closures of hospitals, closures of programs that give families hope - I don't know how much more Burnaby and New Westminster families can take."

CUNNINGHAM CONFIDENT

Paul Martin's candidate in Burnaby-Douglas is feeling upbeat and confident, despite speculation that the federal Liberals are having a tough time in B.C.

"Things on the ground are going great," Cunningham told the Burnaby Now last week. "We still very much have a sense that, at worst, this is a tight three-way race and, at best, the momentum is continuing to build."

Cunningham, an investment banker and president of the B.C. wing of the federal Liberals, was particularly pleased to see the party come up with a made-in-B.C. platform, which he said is different from the national campaign.

Chief among the recommendations is a Liberal promise to open a national tourism centre to Vancouver, and consider the possibility of giving B.C. its own department of fisheries and oceans.

"We're not going to be shy to talk about things," Cunningham said.

And to help make his point a little more forcefully, Cunningham issued separate press releases taking shots at both his NDP and Conservative opponents.

On Friday, Cunningham received the endorsement of the Muslim Canadian Federation - a move which his press release described as "a blow to the NDP campaign in the riding."

Then on Monday, he issued a press release calling on Conservative candidate George Drazenovic to clearly state his position on abortion and Bill C-250, which bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Cunningham said the Tory solution of holding free votes on social issues is not an adequate response.

"Anyone who considers running for office must think about these sorts of issues," said the Liberal candidate. "If not, then how can anyone from the community decide who will best represent their voices in Ottawa? Mr. Drazenovic has clearly stated that this (free votes) is one of his top ten priorities if he is elected. I've been clear what my position on these issues is. It's time for him to be honest with the voters and do the same."

NO BUSINESS SUBSIDIES

Conservative candidate Mike Redmond issued a press release echoing leader Stephen Harpers' vision of low taxes and reducing the number of grants and subsidies offered to corporations.

"This is how we will get our country moving again - by encouraging innovation and real business investment," Redmond said. "The old parties, like the Liberals and the NDP, believe in handouts. Conservative believe that Canadian businesses can thrive if we give them the chance."

Harper made his pledge at the Toronto Board of Trade last week. "I am here to day to issue a challenge to the business community," said the new tory leader. "If you want lower business taxes, you must be willing at the same time to stop receiving government subsidies. I won't lower one without lowering the other."