“I want gay married couples to be able to protect their marijuana plants with guns.” .When Tim Moen was the newly elected leader of the Libertarian Party of Canada, his viral meme with this unforgettable passage garnered attention across Canada, and even overseas. .His philosophy is a simple one of non-aggression and peaceful, voluntary cooperation. It can be boiled down even further to, “Don’t hurt people and don’t take their stuff.” Unfortunately, too many Canadians don’t appreciate that sentiment. Since its founding in 1972, the LPoC has never won a seat in parliament, or even come close. .Moen is an anarcho-capitalist and draws influence from the great liberal enlightenment thinkers from John Locke, through to the Austrians – Mises and Rothbard – and appreciates the work of present-day intellectuals like Jordan Peterson. He thinks winning elections will happen when there’s more people who share his philosophy, hence the LPoC’s focus on ideas for the time being, over electoral success. His strategy has been to inspire people, and he has succeeded in doing that; at least for myself..He took over as leader of the Libertarian Party in 2014, has ran in several elections. He’s not a career politician and it shows. He’s genuine, caring, and real..His influence has reached outside of Canada as well. He was the opening speaker at the American Libertarian National convention – to record breaking attendance – and he’s shared a stage in Acapulco with libertarian heavyweights like Ron Paul. For LPoC faithful it has been difficult to reconcile his popularity abroad with the lack of traction here at home. That hasn’t stopped him from showing up every day with his work boots on for liberty movement..Despite the lack of electoral success, there have been victories. The LPoC had advocated for cannabis legalization since the party’s inception. Likewise for same-sex marriage. Both are now the law and are broadly supported by the major parties. .Advocating for liberty in Canada is not easy. People have confused cumbersome bureaucracies – like the health care system and rent-seeking corporations like Air Canada and the railways – into a disastrous national identity crisis. Thanks to those types of institutions and the political class that have enabled them, the strong and free country that built them and incorporated them into the national fabric no longer exists. Tim Moen tried to explain this to people and was met with disdain, repudiation, and insults, even from some fellow travellers on the libertarian journey. .Moen rolled the dice in supporting the candidacy of Maxime Bernier for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. He saw it as a rare chance for a libertarian to mount a real challenge for Canada’s top office, and it nearly panned out. .In 2018, after years of friendship and collaboration, the two had a falling out over Bernier’s creation of the PPC. It appeared at the time the party might be finished. It would have been easy for him to walk away. Instead he muscled through the storms and kept the ship on course until he found a safe place to land it..Moen will not be seeking re-election as party leader. It is a blow to a very important voice on Canada’s political stage. He’s not walking away from movement, and he says he will retain his membership with the LPoC. The small party will now have to elect his replacement. .The liberty movement, the country, and myself personally, owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Moen for his principled, steadfast stand to make Canada a freer place to live and do business. Most Canadians may still not know him, but they owe him as well. .Darcy Gerow is a columnist for the Western Standard
