Freedom Flyer Summer 1988 Cover

Freedom Flyer 12

the official newsletter of the
Freedom Party of Ontario

Summer 1988




Article electronically reproduced from:

The Globe and Mail

August 20, 1987


'Fringe' parties jockey for fourth place

BY SUSAN DELACOURT
The Globe and Mail

They want the vote that says "none of the above."

So with virtually no chance of winning in the Ontario election on Sept. 10, at least five, and as many as six parties will jockey for the coveted fourth place behind the Liberals, the Progressive Conservatives and the New Democratic Party.

They are the so-called fringe parties: rebels without campaign buses who see elections as a golden opportunity to advance their vision of a perfect world.

In this election, that perfect world described by the fringe is anything from a province without abortions to an economy without government regulation.

But for all their differences, there is a common thread running through their campaigns: all say they represent the people that the three larger parties forgot and all talk about leaving a mark, making a statement or "building for the future."

But most of them are not talking about winning any seats. On the fringe, they say, politicians are masters of no illusions and servants to no one.

"Electability isn't our concern at the moment," says Robert Metz, leader of the Freedom Party of Ontario. "We don't present our candidates with any false promises or illusions about being elected."

The Freedom Party's platform is similar to that of the Libertarian Party, which runs under a banner of free enterprise, free trade and freedom from overregulation by government.

And like the Libertarians, whose leader, Kaye Sargent, thinks even 1990 would be too soon to hope for her party to take a seat in the Legislature, Freedom Party members have their sights set on a more distant date than Sept. 10.

"We set ourselves a goal of a decade or two before any of us get elected," Mr. Metz said. Modest goals are the trademark of the fringe parties in this election, in which all the attention seems to be focused on how high the Liberals can climb and how low the Tories can sink.

"We recognize that people tend to vote against things rather than for things," said Mr. Metz, whose Freedom Party has even collected garbage during a London, Ont., strike in an attempt to capture public attention. "But maybe someday, sooner or later, we can be the fourth party."




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