Freedom Flyer 2

By Nick Martin
Toronto Bureau

TORONTO - Bob Metz is pretty unusual among the proselytizing political crusaders trudging the province with petitions and hopes in hand - he found someone who listened.

But organizing a political party isn't exactly a day at the beach, said London's Metz, president, leader and official spokesman for the Freedom Party of Ontario, one of only seven groups to achieve official party status in Ontario by obtaining the signatures of 10,000 voters.

Only the Freedom Party of Ontario, Communist Party, Libertarians and the Northern Heritage Party have joined the Conservatives, Liberals and New Democrats as official parties in the province.

"Ten thousand signatures is not an easy feat," says Metz. "I've seen just about every form of frustration. That largely comes from unrealistic expectations."

Metz was a Libertarian candidate federally in London-Middlesex in 1980 but found the Libertarians too philosophical for his taste. Along with London bookstore owner Marc Emery, he became involved in founding the Enterprise Party, which still appears in the active files of the Commission on election contributions and expenses although Emery says he has packed it in.

About that time, the Unparty Party of Ontario was coming along in Toronto and well on its way to achieving official status. Metz threw in with the Unparty and became president of its London South provincial riding association in late 1982. The Unparty has now given way to the Freedom Party of Ontario, which officially changed the party's title Jan. 1 and moved its headquarters to London.

"Our stand is very similar to the Libertarians," explained Metz, an accountant. "We're very definitely free enterprisers. The basic difference is that the Libertarian Party is very philosophical. Right now, we're looking for activists."

The Toronto founders of the Unparty did most of the work registering the party four years ago, he said. " I have to give them credit for that.

However, he said, there were problems. "What made us reluctant to join them was the name.The name was a handicap." In addition, the Unparty tried to make a big splash which we were reluctant to do. The expense was just enormous."

Now, said Metz, "our whole direction has been changed. The party has picked up and moved to London. We're servicing our Toronto members from London."

The Freedom Party of Ontario has about 600 members, including 50 in London South, and expects to field candidates in the three London ridings in the 1985 provincial election.

The Unparty was getting lost in Toronto, whereas the Freedom Party of Ontario can build a base in London, Emery said. "You can reach people in London."

He said he is supportive of the Libertarians but finds too many of them are absorbed into the PCs before a power base can be established. "I'm not actually aligned with anyone," he explained, although he will help Metz and any conservative group, including the Tories.

Why do the founders of these new parties consider they're needed?

The Libertarians find the Conservatives too involved in social policies, meddling too much in free enterprise, overly regulating citizens.

The Freedoms find the Libertarians too philosophical. The Greens conclude that not even the New Democrats concentrate sufficiently on the one or two issues around which the Greens are rallying - Nuclear power and the environment. The Northern Ontario Heritage Party is essentially a one-issue party out to create a new province, while the Communists disaffection with the existing order speaks for itself.

And some are simply individuals with a cause or a vision who set out to find if anyone else is on the same wavelength.

Could they be a major factor in an upcoming provincial election?

The Libertarians have only seven riding associations in Ontario, said party executive member Martha Olijnyk, including the Oxford chapter headed by Kay Sargent. Nevertheless, there are many more informal Libertarian groups in Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston and Kitchener-Waterloo which refuse to organize riding associations because they are so strongly opposed to government bureaucracy, she said.

The Northern Ontario Heritage Party has never fielded a candidate, said Gilson, but could contest some of the 14 ridings in Northern Ontario if flagging interest in his party can be revived before the next election.

The Libertarians are uncertain how many candidates will put forward in the 1985 provincial election, Olijnyk said. They had 35 in 1977 but fell to only 12 candidates in 1981.

"We don't expect candidates in all the ridings or even close to it. There's a concentration on quality rather than quantity."

Metz said the Freedom party of Ontario is confident it will have candidates in London North, London Centre and London South, but is uncertain how many other ridings it will contest.

The Freedoms have set the goals by the next election of making the public aware of their existence, of distributing the party's literature to the electorate and of conducting public debates on major issues.

The Green Party of Ontario has set a target of April 16 for official status, said party member Jutta Keyleworth of Toronto, and may well become the next and eighth recognized party in the province.

"The Greens are getting quite active in their local areas. We're constantly urging everyone" to submit their completed petitions.

So far, this environmental and anti-nuclear group has 4,000 signatures in hand but with 3,000 petition forms, each with space for 10 names, in the hands of party supporters around the province, the Greens are probably close to having 10,000 already, she said.

The Greens have about 20 chapters, including offices in Toronto and Kingston, and are working on policy development, training party spokesmen and planning a summer election seminar near Ottawa.

"We are setting up an election strategy committee," said Keylewerth.

Groups such as the Unparty collected close to 14,000 signatures, and the Greens will likely do the same.

The difference between the Greens and many of the other fledgling groups is the large number of people forming the original core group.

The Communist Party of Canada has more than 2,000 members in Ontario and plans to be a factor in the next provincial election, although none of its 22 expected candidates will run in any riding between Windsor and Kitchener, said Ontario Communist leader Gordon Massie.