Tories shouldn't lecture on freedom: Letter

Editor’s note: The following letter is in response to Diane Ikonen’s letter, titled “In politics, conscience trumps family ties,” published Sept. 17.

I have to take issue with letter-writer Diane Ikonen’s curious definition of the word “freedom.”

She suggests that the official pro-choice position of the Liberal and NDP, which prevents anti-abortion candidates from running for those parties, is somehow anti- freedom. This isn’t true, either by definition or by convention.

First, our “freedom of expression” relates exclusively to protection from the state. These policies don’t deny Canadians the right to vote or run for election, they simply say that someone can’t wear a particular team’s uniform.

Second, it’s disingenuous to imply the Conservative Party hasn’t also exercised their discretionary powers. The Tories and Grits both require potential candidates to fill out hilariously invasive questionnaires that ask about divorce, child custody and support payment information, all of which can be used to disqualify undesirable candidates.

More problematically, we can point to the recent nomination controversies in Alberta, where Puma Banwait and Buta Singh Rehill registered to run for the Tories in Calgary Skyview and were disqualified without explanation. You might think that they could run independently, like an anti-choice Dipper could, but no.

Applicants for Tory and Liberal candidacy must sign a declaration that says they won’t run if they don’t win. They’re literally required to sign away their democratic rights.

Finally, the Conservatives have no business lecturing anyone about freedom. This is the party that passed Bill C-51, legislation which, according to the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, “will lead to censorship and a massive chill on free expression, and enables a potentially widespread abuse of power.”

So much for our right to assembly and expression, or our basic freedoms of person, security, and mobility, since any Canadian can now be arrested without cause, just the mere suspicion (!) of future (!!) criminality.

Freedom? The Conservative Party doesn’t appear to know what the word means.

Neil Shyminsky
Sudbury