Voters in Steveston-Richmond East will have a fifth option on the ballot.
Matthew Swanston will represent the Libertarian Party of Canada, a political group dedicated to the principles of individual liberties and autonomy from government.
Swanston has provided no contact information so could not be reached for comments regarding his candidacy.
He has, however, provided profile information on the Libertarian Party of Canada’s website. According to that, Swanston is a graduate of McRoberts secondary who went on to serve on a tour of duty in Kandahar, Afghanistan as a remote weapons system operator of two armoured vehicles.
During his downtime prior to being deployed, Swanston is said have been inspired by the economics literature of Peter Schiff, who accurately predicted the 2008 global recession. The Austrian School of economics, which teaches that individual decisions dictate economic trends, then inspired Swanston.
Swanston said his military experience instilled a “strong sense of responsibility, honour and integrity.”
The Libertarian Party is said to stand for free market economic policies, property rights and entrepreneurship.
Notable for Swanston is the fact Libertarians propose to withdraw Canadian armed forces from international conflicts. In turn, the party would reallocate military resources to national defense and Arctic sovereignty.
In 2011, the Libertarians had Jeff Monds run in the riding’s now parent riding of Delta-Richmond East. Monds garnered 147 votes, which was good for 0.3 per cent of the turnout.
The Libertarian Party was formed in 1973. In 2011, it tabled 23 candidates but this year Swanston helps make up a group of 69 candidates, the most for the party since 1988, when it received 0.25 per cent of the national popular vote.
Libertarians believe people should not be punished for present-day “victimless” crimes, such as sex work and drug use.
It promotes a liberal immigration agenda that would reduce red tape for foreign workers and refugees.
Libertarians would also grant First Nations a blanket guarantee of sovereignty and “eliminate systemic discrimination against indigenous people.”
Libertarians would enforce property rights and do away with eminent domain legislation.
On healthcare, it would repeal the Canada Health Act and ensure care is a provincial responsibility. It would also propose private healthcare as to allow individual choice.
According to its online platform, Libertarians also propose to make significant changes to the tax structure by reducing federal income taxes to a maximum rate of 15 per cent, increasing the personal tax exemption to $17,300 and eliminating all tax credits and replacing them with four simplified exemptions for $4,000 each (child, senior, disability, student).
