Conservatives warmly welcome U.S. libertarian Ron Paul in Ottawa

Americas foremost libertarian, Ron Paul, received a standing ovation Friday from Canadian conservatives gathered for an annual conference, after a speech that advocated the abolition of central banks, income tax and social programs.

But on the sidelines of the networking conference, sponsored by the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, some Tories noted that Mr. Pauls views were disconnected from the more moderate Canadian conservative movement and the nation in general.

A survey released at the conference indicated Canadians still count on government to handle the economy.

Were not Americans in that sense [Canadians] regard government as a positive force, said longtime conservative pollster Andre Turcotte, adding that the public is looking for more innovative ways of service delivery.

Few Conservative parliamentarians attended Mr. Pauls morning speech, in which he encapsulated his views on the primacy of individual liberty and the problems with current economic models all centred on the concept of government getting out of the way of peoples lives and the free market.

Mr. Paul formerly a Republican leadership candidate and congressman is an opponent of centralized monetary policy, government support for industry, federal social programs and the regulation of illicit drugs. At home, he has advocated for the abolition of the federal Health and Education departments.

Wouldnt it be correct to assume that the fruits of your labour are also yours to keep? Mr. Paul said, interrupted by applause.

My goodness, that would be a challenging thought. What does that mean? There wouldnt be any income tax? Thats right, we wouldnt have income taxes, because it would be your money. Then everyone would start worrying then how would you pay for the government? Well, why dont we have a lot less government and we wouldnt have to worry about that. Thats what Id like.

Preston Manning, the former Reform party leader and host of the conference, later asked Mr. Paul questions but did not challenge his views. Much of the conference agenda was dominated by guests associated with the more libertarian Reform party-Canadian Alliance side of the Tory family.

But the current Conservative government under Stephen Harper has heavily branded its stimulus project the Economic Action Plan as the cornerstone of the governments agenda. Its skills programs, funding for seniors and snowmobile clubs, and various industrial subsidies would appear antithetical to Mr. Pauls non-interventionist policies.

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Conservatives warmly welcome U.S. libertarian Ron Paul in Ottawa