Freedom Party's first campus association, at London's University of Western Ontario [U.W.O.], got off to a respectable start in its first full year of operation, with activities ranging from the establishment of its own newsletter to the hosting of a public forum featuring the Fraser Institute's senior economist, Dr. Walter Block, who spoke on the subject of "affirmative action." (see press article.)
Add to that the incredible number of letters generated by club members to the editor of the campus newspaper, the Gazette, and on-campus video presentations on fundamental issues (i.e., capitalism vs. socialism), it would be hard to deny that the U.W.O. Freedom Party Association was having its influence felt in the university community.
And of course, that's the entire point of having a campus club --- to wield intellectual and moral influence on issues that would normally be beyond the scope of a provincially-registered political party. For that reason, the first issue of the club's newsletter, the Freedom Forum, featured articles on subjects ranging from the operations of the University Students Council to the issue of apartheid in South Africa.
Worth noting, however, was one planned event that never quite materialized: a debate between solicitor Doug Christie (legal counsel for Ernst Zundel and James Keegstra during their famous "hate-literature" trials), and someone willing to speak out in favour of censoring the views expressed by his famous clients. The problem was in finding that "someone else" who would be willing to tackle the other point of view.
As early as September 1985, Christie had confirmed that he would be willing to speak on the subject of censorship and that he, like us, would prefer a debate format. What was particularly disturbing, from our point of view, was the nature of the resistance we received from those we approached to speak against Christie.
Comments for the Jewish community ranged from accusations that Christie did not sufficiently "disassociate" himself from the views of his clients (which would have been impossible, given the nature of the trials) to the basic fear that in debate, Christie "might win", which would be to the detriment of his debating opponent.
And of course, there was the response received from U.W.O. law professor and past-NDP candidate Rob Martin who wrote:
Martin, who had previously been outspoken in his opposition to freedom of speech that may be considered "hate-literature", was, as we observed in the Freedom Forum, simply being offered an opportunity to "confer a degree of legitimacy or dignity" to his own point of view.
In any event, it has become increasingly clear to us that, when presented with a clear, consistent, and principled platform favoring freedom, freedom's enemies are hasty to retreat from the challenge of defending their own points of view. Our experience in this respect is growing day by day, and it's an experience worth extending to every university campus in the province.
If YOU happen to be a student on some Ontario campus, and if you'd like to get a Freedom Party association started, contact us. We'll be happy to tell you what's involved --- it's less work than you think! And you'll have the advantage of our experience, coupled with the resources we have to offer. Get involved! --- No one else will do it for you.
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last updated on April 28, 2002
