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Libertarian leader is no
seatbelt-wearing slave
By Karie Dufour
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| Jean-Serge Brisson hopes his eighth
election campaign will be the charm. |
OTTAWA | Oct. 31, 2003 — It’s
a far cry from Parliament Hill.
At 2052 Ste. Marie Street in Embrun, a French-speaking village
east of Ottawa, is Independent Radiator. Beat-up old cars
adorn the shop’s yard and the letter “s”
is missing from the word safety in the sign. The office is
messy and its owner’s jeans and hands are covered in
grease.
The “independent” is fitting.
You would never know it, but besides being where locals take
their cars for a brake job, this old building is the headquarters
of the Canadian Libertarian Party and the guy with the greasy
jeans is its leader.
0 for 7
Jean-Serge Brisson, 49, started his business in 1974. In
1980 he became frustrated with government red tape faced by
business owners and joined the Libertarians. In 2000, he became
leader of the party that advocates individual rights, privatization
and minimal government interference.
Brisson has run in three municipal elections, two provincial
elections and two federal elections. In the 1993 federal election
he received 245 of the 55,815 valid votes in his riding.
His record thus far: 0 for 7.
Celebrity
Brisson was born and raised in this community. He became
self-employed at 19 and is single. He is not the typical party
leader, the type that tries to stay away from scandal. Brisson’s
anti-government exploits have made him a celebrity in the
Ottawa region. Popular Ottawa Citizen columnist Dave Brown
has written about Brisson more than two dozen times since
the early 1990s.
Brisson received almost 1,300 votes in the 2000 Russell Township
municipal election. The four winners averaged 2,100 votes.
His support was impressive considering Brisson spent his campaign
in the Ottawa Regional Detention Centre.
That’s right; this long-shot prime minister has done
time – for not wearing a seatbelt.
Seatbelt safety
In 1975 Brisson was in a bad car accident. He had forgotten
to put on his seatbelt and is convinced this saved his life.
He has since refused to wear seatbelts and has amassed more
than a dozen Highway Traffic Act violations, more than $9,000
in fines and two jail terms.
His Libertarian reasoning for defying the seatbelt law: The
government has taken away his right to chose how he will live
or die.
While in prison, the already slight man staged a six-day
hunger strike. This protest landed him in solitary confinement.
Later this year, he will testify in a B.C. trial challenging
the constitutionality of the seatbelt law.
The tax collector
Brisson’s court appearances are not restricted to traffic
violations. He also refuses to collect GST and PST, has not
filed an income tax return in 12 years and has no bank accounts.
In 1991, after being assessed a late fee for not submitting
a return on time, he quit his job as a provincial “tax
collector” by returning his vendor’s permit. The
government told him it would remain valid as long as he operated
his business. Brisson burned it in front of a television crew,
gave up entirely on the tax system and sent the province a
bill for $18,000. This is what he figured his six years of
service was worth.
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| Brisson's political office is also the
garage where he earns his living. |
His Libertarian reasoning: Forcing business owners to collect
taxes without paying them adequate compensation is slavery.
The government charged him with failing to file the necessary
tax paperwork in 1993. Brisson filed it, filled with zeros.
Since then, he says, the government has twice asked him to
turn over his files. He refused, saying it would force him
to incriminate himself. Brisson speculates that the province
backed off because it feared getting into a debate about slavery.
Brisson says the only correspondence he has with Revenue Canada
is an annual letter informing him that if he fails to file
a return he will not collect a GST credit.
Today, Brisson is a busy man. While running his fourth municipal
campaign, he’s signing up party members for the next
federal election. The party didn’t run candidates in
the last two elections because changes to the Elections Act
in 1993 made it harder for fringe parties to be registered.
However, the Supreme Court of Canada recently overturned the
law requiring parties to run 50 candidates before they can
be registered.
But, before he can wash the grease off his hands and pack
his bags for 24 Sussex Drive, there are still a few cars to
fix. 
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Jean-Serge Brisson says Libertarian views have been around
for thousands of years. Click to hear about the party’s
history.
Libertarian
Party of Canada