Libertarian seeks to represent Dufferin-Caledon at Queen’s Park

March 28, 2018 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
Jeff Harris hopes the Libertarian message can be spread across Dufferin-Caledon and the rest of Ontario in the coming provincial election campaign.
Harris will be the Libertarian candidate in this riding for the June 7 election.
He runs a software company, and the Alliston resident said he’s done a lot of work in the Orangeville area.
“I know the riding pretty well,” he said.
This is his first venture into the political arena.
He said he was not pleased when the Progressive Conservatives under former leader Patrick Brown unveiled their platform with provisions for a carbon tax.
“I wanted to find a party that held the same values that I do,” he remarked, adding that includes fiscal conservatism and social liberalism. “The best of both worlds.”
The 50-year-old married father of two said the party plans to have candidates in every riding in the province once the campaign starts.
“I think there’s a real push to make sure they get representation in every riding,” he said.
Harris pointed out most people know about the major parties, and are looking for something else.
“I think this is a good year for it,” he said, commenting there are a lot of Liberals who aren’t supporting Premier Kathleen Wynne, and many grass-roots Conservatives are not pleased with the party’s platform. Libertarians, he said, are “in between the two,” which might be appealing for people who are looking for a place to put their votes.
Harris was not under-estimating the work it will take to get elected in Dufferin-Caledon.
“It’s a strongly-held Conservative riding,” he observed. “I don’t take it lightly.”
But he added if he can get the Libertarian message out, there could be a good response.
Party Leader Allen Small has stated he believes people of Ontario should have greater control over their own lives, including more economic and personal freedom.
“I’m confident this will lead to increased prosperity for themselves and their families,” he said. “This can be achieved by reducing the emphasis and reliance on exclusively government-delivered programs and services. At the same time eliminating restrictions and fully allowing non-government delivered programs and services to be offered will give people unfettered access to programs and services without artificial rationing and government control. By supporting the Ontario Libertarian Party, you can help make this happen.”
Harris said it’s important for the party to get some representation at Queen’s Park.
“There’s no reason why they can’t win some key ridings,” he declared.
He also stressed the importance of putting pressure on the Liberals and Conservatives to keep their promises and be responsible with tax dollars.