Brad Harness said he thinks he knows why such a low percentage of the population votes in general elections.
It’s because politicians are usually forced to vote with their parties, even if that is against the best interests of their constituents.
Harness, the leader of the Reform Party of Ontario, which was started in 2007, said if his party elects MPPs to the legislature in 2011, they will be free to vote how they choose.
Harness, the publisher of a weekly newspaper called the Middlesex Banner, distributed just outside of London, Ont., is on a tour of northeastern Ontario to promote the party. His children, Russell, 14, and Ryan, 10, are accompanying him.
Harness said the party derives its mission from the defunct Reform Party of Canada, in that it is grassroots-based, and stresses fiscal responsibility.
After the recession, the province of Ontario is running “close to financial insolvency,” he said. “The debt is climbing significantly,” he said.
The party has lined up candidates in about two dozen ridings throughout the province, although it doesn’t have candidates for Sudbury or Nickel Belt yet.
Anyone interested in running is asked to phone the party’s northern Ontario co-ordinator, David Chirko, at 673-8043.
For more information about the party’s policies, visit www.newcanada.ca
