Election 2005

Candidates and Results

The British Columbia Libertarian Party regained official party status barely a month before the May 17, 2005 BC provincial election, but still managed to run six candidates under the BCLP banner. In order of the number of votes obtained, here are the 2005 election results for our candidates:

John Clarke (Vancouver-Burrard): 4th place, 361 votes (1.36%)
Chris De Wilde (Vancouver-Langara): 5th place, 172 votes (0.92%)
Paul Geddes (Coquitlam-Maillardville): 5th place, 171 votes (0.79%)
BCLP President Paul Geddes had a candidate page with more information about the BCLP platform, and his answers to questions about local and provincial issues.
Katrina Chowne (Vancouver-Quilchena): 4th place, 168 votes (0.72%)
Lewis Dahlby (Port Coquitlam-Burke Mountain): 5th place, 89 votes (0.39%)
Jeff Monds (Vancouver-Point Grey): 6th place, 42 votes (0.17%)

Total votes cast for our six Libertarian candidates: 1003.

By comparison, in 1996 (the last provincial election contested by the Libertarian Party) we received 2041 votes from 17 candidates.

Platform

The BC Libertarian Party stands for greatly reduced government involvement both in our personal lives and in our economic lives. We are opposed to government restrictions on the voluntary choices adults make with respect to food stuffs, sex, drugs, bicycle helmets and rock climbing. At the same time we are opposed to government interference in the economy. We favour choice and an end to government monopolies in health care, education, agriculture marketing boards and car insurance.

The BC Libertarian Party proposes:

Greatly reduced taxation and regulation of the economy. We want to free the many good citizens trapped in government employment to achieve the greater potentials that are possible in private and voluntary institutions.
More choice in health care. We want to end the government monopoly on health insurance and allow willing patients to make voluntary contracts with doctors for extra services. We also want more market incentives in hospitals.
More choice in education. Money should follow the students to the particular school they choose and not be given to school boards to allocate.
End the government monopoly on deciding who should be allowed to produce eggs, chickens and milk. Agricultural marketing boards should be made voluntary. This will increase the selection of available products and also reduce costs to consumers.
End the government monopoly on basic car insurance. If ICBC is truly doing a good job for us, then there is no need to protect it from competition.
Rescind the agriculture land reserve legislation. If homeowners prefer to live next to farms (instead of many other homeowners) then they should pay for this privilege by entering into trust agreements with farmers instead of voting to steal the value of farmland from farmers.
Allow the legal production of marijuana so that professional growers will grow this crop in greenhouses or large warehouses where it belongs, instead of disrupting our neighbourhoods.

Issues

BCLP President Paul Geddes, candidate for Coquitlam-Maillardville, responds to the Burke Mountain Naturalists Provincial Election Candidates Questionnaire, highlighting a libertarian viewpoint on a number of environmental issues.

Further Information

If you want to find out more about the general philosophy of libertarianism, you may wish to check out the What Is Libertarianism? page, or just google libertarianism.

There is a federal libertarian party, the Libertarian Party of Canada, and a new discussion forum for those interested in libertarianism in Canada.