Leadership Convention

Saturday November 8, 2008
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Wyndham Garden Hotel (416-493-9000)
(formerly Ramada Hotel Toronto Don Valley)
185 Yorkland Blvd., Toronto  (Highways 401 & 404)

AGENDA

  9:00 –  Registration and coffee

  9:30 –  Welcome

10:00 – Professor Glenn Fox -“Selling the Libertarian Idea”

11:00 – Professor Jan Narveson - "The Philosophical Underpinnings of Libertarianism in a Nutshell"

12:00 –  Buffet Lunch

  1:00 – Elections

  2:30 – Amendments to Constitution and Bylaws and other business

 4:30 – Adjourn

For a narrative report on the Convention (and a short history of the Party) visit George Dance's column on Nolan Charts. 

The delegates agreed to change the agenda to deal with the Amendments before the election.  See below for  summary of the results. 

In addition to presenting the philosophical underpinnings of Libertarianism Jan will explain how the general ideas are plausibly connected with concrete issues, such as drug legalization and OHIP.

AMENDMENTS

The following are proposed (and published) amendments to the Constitution.  Since they had been published, they were deemed to have been moved and seconded.  George Dance, who proposed the amendments, turned the chair over to Heath Thomas so he could argue the merits of the amendments. 

I. Moved that a new section be added to Article 4 (Membership) to read:
Section 1. Anyone who has signed the statement, “I’m for individual liberty,” and has paid current membership dues, shall be a “Member” of the Party.
and that the rest of Article 4 be renumbered.

George tabled this motion.

II. Moved that a new Section be added to Article 6 (Officers) to read:
Section 8. All Officers must sign an oath of office, which shall read, “I support and promise to uphold the Ontario Libertarian Party Statement of Principles.”
- and that a new section be added to Article 8 (Ethics Committee) to read:
Section 5. All members of the Ethics Committee shall sign the same oath of office as the Officers.

Carried

III. Moved that a new section be added to Article 9 (Caucus) to read:
Section 5. All Standing Candidates shall sign a candidates’ pledge, which shall read: “I will not advocate anything inconsistent with the Ontario Libertarian Party Statement of Principles.”

Carried

IV. Moved that a new section be added to Article 16 (Election of Party Leader and Deputy Party Leader) to read:
Section 5. No one shall serve as Party Leader or Deputy Party Leader who has not signed the oath of office and the candidates’ pledge.

Carried

The following is the proposed amendment to the Statement of Ultimate Goals

I. Moved that section A (Statement of Principles) be amended to read:

1.       Every individual has the right to his or her own life.

2.       Property rights are essential to individual rights.

3.       No individual or group has a right to initiate force against any other.

4.       Every individual or group has a right to defend his or her own person and property, and every individual has the right to join with others for common purposes. This is the only justification for government.

5.       The only rights of groups, including governments, are those based on the individual rights of their members.

6.       Every individual – so long as he or she respects the rights of others – has the right to live as he or she alone sees fit.

George accepted a friendly amendment to add the words "or fraud" after the word "force" in Principle 3. 

The motion was called.  7/8 of the delegates (including proxies) must vote in favour for this amendment to pass. 

19 - FOR

 5- OPPOSED

Failed

ELECTIONS