TORONTO (February 17, 1996) - Members of the Montgomery Tavern Society (MTS)
met with Reform MP Ed Harper to discuss Reform's commitment to key principles
and issues shared in common with the groups represented. Together, the groups
facing Harper represented over 100,000 members, supporters, and constituents.
The meeting was held to help the leaders of the various groups determine to
what degree they might be of assistance to the Reform Party - both in the
upcoming federal byelections and in the next general election.
Five key areas of concern were earlier agreed upon by the MTS members before
their meeting with Harper:
* Official Multiculturalism
* The Charter of Rights and Freedoms
* Taxes, Debt, and the Deficit
* Canadian Unity
* Justice.
Fp president Robert Metz and vice-president Lloyd Walker represented Freedom
Party at the gathering, and focused on three of these issues in their
discussions with Harper.
Drawing from Freedom Party's Election '95 platform, Metz described Fp's
position to Harper on several issues ranging from Fp's opposition to gun
control to its support of a 'Taxpayer Protection Act' and flat taxes.
"We are prepared and willing," Metz told Harper at the MTS gathering, "as we
have done in the past, to endorse to our membership, and to support wherever
possible, all groups and individuals working to achieve these objectives."
(During the last federal election, Freedom Party endorsed the Reform Party when
it published "Winds of Reform," a transcribed discussion between Metz and
Walker about their differing reasons for supporting Reform - along with some of
the things they didn't like about Reform - in the October 1993 issue of
Consent.)
Walker told Harper that the reason he voted Reform in the last federal election
was because of the party's "Zero-In-Three" pledge to reduce the federal
deficit to zero within three years. Harper quickly made it clear that such an
option is no longer viable, given the Liberal government's spending since the
election.
"'Zero-In-Five' might be possible," explained Harper, "but don't count on it."
Other MTS members bringing their concerns to Harper included: Dick Field (Voice
of Canadians), Judy Anderson (Real Women), Jack Edwards (Communications Corp.),
Bud Pfaff, Gordon Domm (Citizens' Coalition Favouring More Effective Criminal
Sentences), Ron Leitch (APEC), John Furedy (SAFS), Morris Gates, and Jim Montag
(LMTC).
Harper responded to each participant's concerns individually, and made it clear
that on most issues, the Reform Party was fully supportive.
"The Liberals think they won the election on their 'Red Book,'" commented
Harper, "but they're wrong. They won it because of the tremendous backlash
against the Mulroney government."
On a number of broader issues, Harper expressed his distress that Parliament
has legitimized an illegal process - the next Quebec referendum - but explained
why it was too late to turn back now. On government decentralization, he
commented that it will continue to happen, regardless of which political party
was in power. He also cautioned MTS members not to let themselves be misled by
the left-wing media because it is no longer relevant to the political reality
in Canada today.
Citing his expectation that Reform will perform even better in 1997 than it did
during the last federal election, Harper ended the session on a positive note
by thanking MTS members for inviting him to the meeting, and by letting them
know that, from the available options, their concerns would be best addressed
through the Reform Party. On that point, all attendees parted in agreement.
