The Freedom Party of Manitoba, founded as the Libertarian Party of Manitoba, is a provincial

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, advocating

cannabis legalization The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These ...

History

The party was created in the mid-1980s and formally changed its name in early 2005, and in 2007 became the Freedom Party of Manitoba. The LPM ran four candidates in the provincial election of 1986, one fewer than was required for official party certification. It achieved ballot status in 1988 with six candidates, and ran five in 1990. The LPM ran six candidates in 1995, six again in 1999 and five in 2003. It never came close to electing a member to the legislature, and Buors has acknowledged the LPM is a marginal political force in the province. Like other "fringe parties", the LPM claims to present ideas to the public which are ignored by mainstream organizations. The party appears to have been founded by Clancy Smith, who is still an active member. Dennis Rice became party leader at some point in the early 1990s, and stepped down two days after the 2003 election was called. Chris Buors was chosen without opposition as Rice's replacement, and led the party into the election. Like most

right-libertarian Right-libertarianism,Rothbard, Murray (1 March 1971)"The Left and Right Within Libertarianism" ''WIN: Peace and Freedom Through Nonviolent Action''. 7 (4): 6–10. Retrieved 14 January 2020.Goodway, David (2006). '' Anarchist Seeds Beneath the ...

parties, the LPM advocated the view that government activities which affect the lives of citizens (whether in social or economic matters) be kept to a minimum. Buors, who led the party in the 2003 election, is a marijuana-rights activist and has also run as a candidate for the

Marijuana Party of Canada The Marijuana Party (french: Parti Marijuana) is a Canadian federal political party, whose agenda focuses on issues related to cannabis in Canada. Apart from this one issue, the party has no other official policies, meaning party candidates are f ...

. Buors is known as an activist in Canada's

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

movement. In 2005, he legally changed the party's name to the Manitoba Marijuana Party, on the advice and with the support of cannabis activist

Marc Emery Marc Scott Emery (born February 13, 1958) is a Canadian cannabis rights activist, entrepreneur and politician. Often described as the "Prince of Pot", Emery has been a notable advocate of international cannabis policy reform, and has been active ...

. In early February 2007, James Cotton, expressed interest in changing the Party name and becoming Party Leader. All the proper forms for Elections Manitoba were gathered, signed, sealed and delivered and on February 27, 2007 it became the Freedom Party. It supports the full legalization of drugs, and has also called for the restriction of state powers on other issues. The party did not nominate candidates for the 2007 provincial election. James Cotton was the party leader while past leader Buors served as party president. In May 2007, the Freedom Party of Manitoba failed to field the five candidates needed in Manitoba for a provincial party to remain registered in that province. There have since been reports that the party has disbanded.

History

See also