Centre culturel d’Orléans, 6600, rue Carrière, which is off Orleans Blvd just south of St. Joseph Blvd. The debate will feature an introduction then three questions below and then audience questions.
Introduction (3min)
You will observe that my statements and answers will be very different from the three other candidates. This is because mine are all based on an integrated and consistent philosophy based on the principles of a society proper for man's nature as a rational individual. My philosophy is individualist where theirs is collectivist. Mine is based on rationalism whereas theirs is based on mysticism. Mine is based on egoism while their is based on altruism.
For about a century now, the collectivist parties have been fighting over details of which group will control more of your life, your liberty and your property for the next four years. Being collectivists, their philosophy naturally requires the sacrifice of individuals to groups. They do not consider the effort of establishing a free society to be worthwhile. In fact, if you ask them, they could not even explain what a truly free society looks like.
A free society is based on three fundamental and connected principles: (1) a limited government that (2) enacts and enforces objective laws for (3) the sole purpose of protecting individual rights. When government initiates force through regulation, control, monopoly and prohibition against peaceful citizens, it changes from its proper role of protector to the worst violator of rights, since citizens are left with no other protector.
In a free society you are responsible for your own life and the consequences of your choices. Your rights are not sacrificed to meet the wishes of others and you don’t ask others to sacrifice themselves for you or your children's care or education.
In a free society, health care is a cooperative agreement between customers and suppliers - doctors, nurses, surgeons, hospitals, pharmacists and inventors. Shortages cannot exist for long since entrepreneurs rush to fill unmet needs. All types of medical insurance are permitted. There is no government involvement.
In a free society, electricity is supplied by a variety of competitors, each striving to provide reliable power at the lowest price. If one weakens, others quickly increase their market share. Supply meets every conceivable demand. There is no government involvement.
In a free society, all child care and education outside the home is a cooperative agreement between parents and educators. Shortages cannot exist for long since entrepreneurs rush to fill unmet needs everywhere the supply and demand prices match . There is no government involvement.
In a free society, taxes are only a tiny fraction of the economy, not 50%, there is separation of economy and government, education and government, religion and government, and there is a free market in light bulbs, pesticides, auto insurance, alcohol and everything else, so long as objective harm to others is not done.
If elected, the Freedom Party will:
- We will end the health premium,
- close race-based public schools,
- end the monopoly on electricity
- and alcohol,
- raise the speed limit on 400 series highways to 120 and
- end the 14.7 cent per liter Ontario gasoline tax.
What actions will be taken by you and your political party with respect to increasing child care subsidies for children from 0 to 3.8 years in quality Francophone education facilities in the Ottawa-Orleans area?
David McGruer (1min): First, let me say that the question contains a fundamental contradiction that reveals a philosophy at work, implying that it is properly the role of government to provide child care.
In a free society 100% of your income is yours to keep and so the pressure for both parents to work during early childhood years is usually eliminated.
In a free society, parents who wish to have their children cared for by others understand this is their responsibility alone and they are not responsible for the children of anyone else.
Child care does not miraculously appear by wishing for it and it is immoral to force others to provide it. All parents are free to group together to organize any type and language of child care they wish to have.
Child care providers are free to create any business they wish and are accountable only to the parents, who are their customers; not to politicians; not to government.
No one is forced to pay for the child care of anyone else's children and no one uses government force to prevent parents from obtaining the child care they are willing to pay for.
In a collectivist society there are numerous pressure groups that try to control the use of government force in their favour and the largest or loudest group usually wins. To do so, they must violate the rights of all other citizens, and so this type of system is clearly immoral.
A Freedom government would start removing all the barriers to enabling parents to afford to stay home in the early childhood years and all the barriers to a free market in child care.
Question 2
Recognizing that arts and culture are one of the key sectors in community life, how will a government under the banner of your party financially support the arts and cultural organizations both in infrastructure and in terms of operating funds base?
David McGruer (1 min): Arts and culture are indeed important parts of community living. In a free society, all artists are of course free to produce any theater, dance, painting, pottery or writing they wish. As in any other free market, their success is determined by their supporters willingness to pay for their art.
In August I was in Niagara and attended a production in the Shaw Festival. I paid $80 each for the tickets because I chose to attend and believed my wife would love the show. I do not know if the production receives any taxpayer subsidies. I certainly have no right to expect anyone else to pay for any part of my ticket and no one has the right to make me pay for theirs.
If we remove government interference from all arts and culture, all artists will be compensated in exactly the amount their customers have chosen to support them. All support for them will be done by mutual agreement and not coercion. There will be no conflicts and everyone will be treated justly.
Question 3
French-language services have always been important issues of election campaigns in Ontario, especially for the community of Ottawa-Orléans. In this sense, are you in favor of cuts to the Office of French Language Services and the Office of the Commissioner of French language services in Ontario?
David McGruer (1 min): In a free society, language is an individual choice and is not subject to any government controls. There are no bureaucrats creating rules, no language police, no restrictions on signage, language at work, or anything else.
Since the only moral role of government is to protect the rights of individuals, it must only act when the right to life, liberty or property is violated. For example, if a group of people got together to try and force you to run your business in English, it is the role of government to stop them, no matter how large the group. On the other hand, they are free to try and persuade you to offer services in English, and it is up to you to decide if you wish to serve them in English.
When it comes to citizens interacting with government, in a free society government is far smaller and citizens only interact with government through the police, the courts and the creation of objective laws. Citizens have a right to understand and be understood, so it is right for government to offer bilingual or translation services where the situation warrants it.
No comments:
Post a Comment