Michael Harris is the Libertarian candidate for the Battle-River Crowfoot by-election. He is a passionate advocate for liberty who counts Ludwig von Mises and Murray Rothbard among his intellectual influences.
I first met Michael last year at an event we hosted with Libertarian Party leader, Jacques Boudreau. At the time Michael was working for Students for Liberty and I thought he was a well spoken advocate for our cause, so I was excited to see that he had stepped up to run in this by-election. And, he’s been gaining traction.
It’s no secret that this by-election is only happening because the Conservatives want their leader to have a seat in the House of Commons and the Battle-River Crowfoot riding is seen as an easy lock for Poilievre. The CPC won’t take any chances on this front after Poilievre was defeated in the Carleton riding which he had represented for around 20 years…I think.
Yet, there are the murmurings of dissatisfaction with the situation from Battle-River Crowfoot constituents. After all, this is a rural Alberta riding and these people don’t just vote conservative out of habit, they genuinely believe in the principles espoused by conservative talking points. Principles such as smaller government, less waste, accountability, and of course, freedom. Not to mention, this particular riding is fertile ground for a heavy contingency of Alberta separatists.
When an MP steps down so some guy who failed to form government or even retain a seat he held for decades can take a run at a sure thing, you can expect some questions to be asked. People might want to know how much this thing is costing us. They likely want to understand how the leadership of the CPC was so politically incompetent that this guy lost his own seat. Have they learned from their mistakes? Running him in a riding he’s basically guaranteed to win doesn’t give people a lot of confidence that they have.
But one of the most important questions people in Battle-River Crowfoot wanted answered is where does Poilievre stand on a referendum on Alberta independence. Poilievre’s response - that he’s a Canadian patriot - shows the exact kind of disengaged, out-of-touch thinking that Albertans associate with the Laurentian elitist machinery. He had an opportunity to win them over and he gave them an example of why they want to leave.
There is the sense of being used, of uncleanliness in the political process and despite it, the constituents of Battle-River Crowfoot will likely hold their collective nose and elect Poilievre by a large majority, but not without putting these questions and concerns at the fore, not without adding an element of the microscope to Poilievre’s ability, and not without giving young Michael Harris his soapbox to stand on.
Michael is not a career politician, he’s a young guy with a passion for personal liberty. He wants to end equalization, scrap supply management, and strip Ottawa of the authority and decision making rightly enshrined to individuals. His is a message that resonates with rural Albertans.
Hope you enjoy the episode.
-Darcy
