When Lloyd Walker first stepped into the offices of Freedom Party back in September 1986, he never stepped back out. What began as a casual show of support soon mushroomed to a commitment that earned him an appointment to the provincial executive of Ontario's only laissez-faire political party. Meet Lloyd Walker, Freedom Party's new provincial Vice-President.
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My involvement with Freedom Party started about fifteen years ago. A major difficulty though, was that Freedom Party didn't exist then. It was that long ago when I first read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. The ideas introduced in that novel and in the writings of other pro-freedom authors were so obvious and so right that I knew this was the way the world had to go.
But it goes without saying that the ideals espoused by such authors were obviously not those being advocated by those in a position of influence and power; in fact, the world was moving in a direction opposite to what I would have preferred. I knew what I disliked in the events of the day but I couldn't see a way to do anything about them. I'm sure that most of you are familiar with the frustration that goes with the "you can't fight city hall" attitude I was guilty of having at the time. It took fourteen years before I was to find a focus --- a means of expressing my ideas about freedom in a positive and productive way.
My direct involvement with Freedom Party began when I voted for Michelle McColm (London Centre) in the 1985 Ontario provincial election. She was the candidate fielded by the very new and outspoken Freedom Party. Despite knowing that she would not get elected, I knew that I had cast the best vote I had ever made. For the first time in my life, I didn't compromise my political choice; there was no need to anymore.
After the election I began reading all the Freedom Party literature I could get my hands on. To go into all the ideas which struck a resonant chord within me would require reprinting every piece of information published by the party --- something we needn't do here.
The dedication of Freedom Party members to the principles of liberty astounded me. Here was a group of people espousing precisely the philosophy which I had accepted years earlier. I decided to support Freedom Party with more than just my vote so I returned to the party's offices.
It didn't take long to relax in the company of people who thought as I did. Robert Metz and Marc Emery were happy to take time out to talk about anything and everything. It was this eagerness to share ideas and information which resulted in my increased involvement. I couldn't help but get involved when I say that "you can fight city hall" in a positive, assured manner --- and win! I saw progress being made --- new members joining, favourable coverage in the media, projects completed, new projects started, or simply one question answered for someone who just called out of curiosity --- all of which contributed to an increased awareness of freedom in Ontario.
The greatest thing about working in the Freedom Party offices is that you know you are making a contribution --- doing something positive about situations you previously felt angered and frustrated about. We all know the joy that can come from doing productive work and there can be no question that the self-satisfaction I have experienced is a direct result of doing something that I personally believe is truly worthwhile.
I thoroughly enjoy working with Freedom Party and I intend to continue doing so for a long time to come. After all, I'm not only working for Freedom Party and its supporters, I'm working for something that I believe in very strongly --- "that every individual in the peaceful pursuit of personal fulfillment has an absolute right to his or her own life, liberty, and property."
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last updated on April 28, 2002
