Freedom Flyer 34

BY CONAN TOBIAS

Silvio Ursomarzo is a unique candidate in that he has no desire to govern Trinity-Spadina. Instead, he would rather see Trinity-Spadina --- and Ontario for that matter --- govern itself.

As the riding candidate for the Freedom Party, Ursomarzo's solution to many of the debated provincial problems is privatization --- privatization of education, privatization of health care, privatization of housing.

Ursomarzo strongly supports the party's belief that, year after year, government has further encroached and violated human freedom when it has no right to do so. As its name suggests, the Freedom Party believes government should have little or no say in how Ontarians live their lives.

"The only role of government is to defend individual rights," Ursomarzo said. "The only other job they have is to administer the justice system - the police, the courts, and the jails."

While most "fringe" parties have their own equivalent of the Tories' Blueprint or the Liberals' 20/20 outlining how they would govern if elected, the Freedom Party's mandate is easily summed up in a sentence: they want to take power away from government and place it in the hands of the people.

Under a Freedom Party government there would be no welfare or workfare, for example. The poor and unemployed would be provided for by privately-funded charities, who would also help them find work.

"Workfare is an oxymoron. To be paid to do a job is work," Ursomarzo said. "I think if you believe in the right to private property and freedom of speech, you can not expect to take from one person to help another. The reality is creating an incentive of goodwill to help people."

A Freedom Party government would also not interfere with landlord and tenant issues. Ursomarzo said he believes the housing marketplace would, left to its own devices, eventually balance itself out.

Born and raised in Toronto, Ursomarzo has lived in the downtown core for eight years. A graduate of York University, he has worked in the financial services industry for 23 years. Although he resides in the neighbouring riding of Toronto Centre-Rosedale, Ursomarzo decided to run in Trinity-Spadina after the Freedom Party had already nominated a candidate in his home riding.

"I really wanted to run [in Toronto Centre-Rosedale]. It really feels like home here. But my in-laws live in Trinity-Spadina and I spend a lot of time there and feel I'm a part of the community."

Also out of synch with many other parties, Ursomarzo said he does not care if he even takes office, provided his ideals become the norm for government in Ontario.

"By me running, I have a chance to have an audience. If the Liberals or Tories start to hold the ideals we do, that would be fine. If I can affect change without holding office, that's great."

Article electronically reproduced from:

The Toronto Star

June 1, 1999

---

Correction

Silvio Ursomarzo a member of the Freedom Party

Silvio Ursomarzo is a candidate for the Freedom Party in Trinity-Spadina. A story about an all-candidates meeting in the riding misidentified his party affiliation.