Vancouver Courier
for May 24, 1998

From time to time I ponder the great imponderable of the universe. Last week it was, the question of our age - why do we put up with this crap?

It started with a message on my voice mail asking me to phone StatsCan in Ottawa, collect, and tell them what my company did as a business. My initial thought was, to hell with them. That happened to be my final thought as well.

Oh, I know all the arguments. The government needs all those statistics so that they can advise businesses where to invest, blah, blah, blah. But I don't buy it. I think StatsCan is a ministry of needlenosers run amok. What started as an exercise in counting Canadian noses has descended into an inquisition into personal affairs. And they're bullies. Remember the brave folks who refused to answer a StatsCan survey last year and were hounded with dire threats of criminal action? No charges were laid, of course, because like all bullies, professional snoops are cowards.

But the bullies aren't all in Ottawa - not by a long shot. Our Provincial government doesn't like anyone but political parties to be involved in an election and are now prosecuting a private citizen, arising out of the May '96 election, for spending $500 more than the limit set for "third parties". Incidentally, the NDP spent $5 million and the Liberals $6 million pushing their message !

Again, there is an explanation. Surely you don't want single issue candidates defeating real candidates do you?

I say, why not? That's what democracy is all about - come one, come all to the political arena!

But, it's said, look at 1988 when Free Trade exponents bought the vote with expensive advertising!

What they conveniently overlook is that the majority of Canadians voted for parties which opposed Free Trade. And the politicians - for many reasons - don't like to look at the 1992 Charlottetown Referendum where nearly all the advertising money was dumped into the "Yes Committee's" coffers yet "No" won in a landslide.

The latest outrage concerns the tiny and spectacularly unsuccessful (in an electoral sense) Libertarian Party who ran 10 candidates in 1996 all of whom got royally trounced - and on a budget of $5500.

Their official agent was late filing his return so the party was assessed a $500 fine "or else" the fine would balloon to $20,000, and the agent and the party leaders would each be liable to a fine of $5000 plus a year in jail! More than that, the ten candidates, because the agent goofed, would each be liable to a fine of $10,000!

Now there is a point being made here by the Libertarians. They could have avoided the huge fines and jail sentences by filing their late return and sending $500 (half their bank account) but they didn't. They filed the return all right but didn't send the money. They couldn't afford it and they didn't think it fair - and it isn't. The Chief Electoral Officer has hailed the Libertarians before a Supreme Court Judge. (This hearing may be held between this writing and publication but the outcome is not the point.)

We all expect to pay reasonable fees for government services but figures like 5, 10, and 20 thousand dollars are scarcely fees - they're clearly penalties. As is $500 for late filing. And they're grossly excessive.

It makes you ask a more fundamental question - why are governments involved in this business any way? Why can't I simply run for office under the banner of the Rafe Mair for Leader Party without the government knowing or caring? I file my nomination papers, pay my fee for so doing and give the official my name and party affiliation which he puts on the ballot.

Ah, but of course. This would lead to abuse with all sorts of people getting on the ballot paper and some people - not you or me of course - are too damned stupid to sort it all out. We're to be allowed a choice, of course - not a free choice but that permitted by the people who got elected under the restricted system and want nothing to interfere with their re-election. Along comes a tiny party which could conceivably cost one of the established parties the seat which they think of as a birthright and it must be exterminated. Oh, did I forget to tell you that part of the penalty the Libertarians face is "deregistration"?

Why do Canadians out up with this?

Because we love order more than freedom. Rules must be obeyed to the letter. Never mind that the rules are oppressive or that those who make them up are motivated by self preservation.

No Boston Tea Parties or Patrick Henry's for us - our motto is "Give us such liberty as to the authorities seems suitable and convenient - or, dammit, we'll be forced to write a letter to an editor or something."