Debates starring Chester Brown, the cartoonist candidate for the Libertarian Party of Canada in the riding of Trinity-Spadina, turned out to be a less frequent occurrence than originally intended. Three all-candidate events were cancelled last week, due to scheduling conflicts claimed by Member of Parliament Olivia Chow. With seven days remaining in this federal election campaign, those seeking Chow’s job — especially Liberal hopeful Christine Innes — had a chance to challenge the New Democratic Party MP on a proper stage, last night at the Al Green Theatre.  

But if there was anyone who could say nothing right to this capacity crowd of 300 Annex residents — mostly graying ratepayers offset by a handful of University of Toronto keeners — it was Conservative candidate Christine McGirr, whose recent laryngitis furnished her with a raspy voice that was too easily out-booed. Then again, she was representing a prime minister that no one in the room is going to like, ever.

So, if the guy on the ballot for the Libertarians developed any rhetorical strategy over the course of the night, it was to ensure that he didn’t run out of talking time.

“If I went on at length about some of the Libertarian Party ideas,” says Brown the morning after, “I can assure you that the booing would have been even louder for me.

“I didn’t want to get into why I think a two-tiered health care system is a good idea, only because when I explained my position to Seth, it required an hour-long discussion to get my point across. And, in this case, I only had a minute.”

Just as often, Brown succinctly responded to audience questions with time to spare, starting off by explaining that he came to libertarianism after figuring that all sides of the establishment political spectrum were likely to find something wrong with the provocative elements of his successful illustrated work.

Researching for his book Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography left Brown feeling that government was basically good for one thing: property rights.

“Money is power,” he told the crowd in opening remarks. “And when the government takes money from you they also take the power from you.”

Chow, meanwhile, commended the audience for their bravery in coming out to a political debate in the face of reports of a wave of vandalism targeted at putative Liberal Party supporters across Toronto.

What she needs to do, though, is make a case for the NDP’s continued representation of Trinity-Spadina after beating Tony Ianno on a third try in the 2006 federal election that moved Chow to Ottawa alongside her party leader husband — and fellow former city councillor — Jack Layton. Now, the challenger on behalf of the Liberals turns out to be Ianno’s wife, Innes, just another candidate who’d probably make a better federal leader than Stéphane Dion.

Whether these Ottawa-ready platitudes befitting a seasoned litigator connect with the nuanced aspects of Trinity-Spadina is a different matter.

With his background as a professional mime — amongst other performing and humanitarian credentials — Green Party candidate Stephen LaFrenie is similarly adept at this game, lamenting the limited opportunities available to debate Chow.

There’s a sixth candidate on the stage, Carlos Santos Almedia, running as an independent for what appears to be the opportunity to speak from a stage without necessarily having to develop a point. Where else in this town can you elicit laughs from a crowd without going through the hassle of formulating a joke?

Then again, Chester Brown’s idea of funny wasn’t designed for rooms like these, either: “If I was elected I’d probably be the sole Libertarian Member of Parliament,” he shrugged in response to a question about influencing environmental policies, “so I probably wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

No one else is sticking up for the free market, though. Stephen Harper’s envoy McGirr tries to pre-empt the hisses by rattling off statistics about just how much the government has done, and intends to continue to do, for everyone.

Brown, by contrast, wondered aloud why corporations don’t do more to sponsor post-secondary education. After all, they’re the ones who benefit the most.

The seating positions in alphabetical order gradually lead to most responses from Brown becoming a bouncing-off point for Chow about why the NDP feels otherwise. Somewhere around the 90-minute mark, the lowest-common-denominator policy questions get the stock answers they deserve.

What do the Libertarians think about what the government’s role should be in reducing poverty? “I’m not even going to bother,” demurred Brown.

How do you feel about your party leader’s relationship with the press? “I don’t think I’ve ever seen or read an article about my leader,” said the computer-deprived Brown. “So I’d say my leader’s relationship with the press is terrible.”

Nonetheless, an inquiry about how much the candidate would be speaking for themselves relative to the party does pack some poignancy in light of Chow’s recurring references to “Jack Layton’s NDP” while Innes banks on a bored public belatedly discovering that her beleaguered Liberal Party leader has some passion.

“I’d be expressing my own opinion in the House of Commons,” affirmed Brown. “Because, if elected, I believe the majority of you would be agreeing with me.”

And, before it was all over, he got Chow to exclaim that she actually agreed with the Libertarian stance on making the country as open as possible to immigrants.

The lack of a debate specifically geared to U of T students seemed to make her opponents especially annoyed with Chow — who explained she opted out of a scheduled date at Hart House last week due to its conflict with the Jewish holidays, and no one would agree to the proposed alternative.

And, while passing references to arts funding provided a few more opportunities for McGirr to field shouts of “shame” — while LaFrenie raised the matter that he couldn’t afford to eat at the restaurants inhabiting the Queen West strip he once frequented as a starving actor — none of the major party candidates appeared to be particularly clued in response to a pointed question about the copyright bill.

Brown, on the other hand, just figures the existing freedom of the internet provides sufficient evidence that the Libertarians had legitimate ideas all along.

After all, the last thing this particular candidate wanted to make last night was an enemy — and if Chester Brown is confident in nothing else, he’s got a reputation.

“If it’s a matter of civility in government, you can ask anyone who knows me.

“I’m a very polite person.”

 

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