| British Columbia Libertarian Party | |
| Subheader: | Active provincial party |
| Logo Upright: | 1.1 |
| Leader: | Alex Joehl[1] |
| Leader2 Title: | Deputy Leader |
| Leader2 Name: | Sandra Filosof-Schipper[2] |
| Secretary: | Neeraj Murarka |
| President: | Paul Geddes |
| Headquarters: | Coquitlam, British Columbia |
| Ideology: | Libertarianism |
| Colours: | Gold and black |
| Colorcode: |
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| Seats1 Title: | Seats in the Legislative Assembly |
| Country: | Canada |
| State: | British Columbia |
| Parties Dab1: | List of political parties in British Columbia |
| Elections Dab1: | List of British Columbia general elections |
The British Columbia Libertarian Party is a libertarian party in British Columbia, Canada, that nominated its first candidates in the 1986 provincial election. There has never been a Libertarian elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, and they have been termed a fringe party.[3] In the 2020 British Columbia general election the party fielded 25 candidates and received 8,360 votes, or 0.4% of the popular vote. Keith Macintyre received 2.6% of votes in Penticton. In 2024, the party fielded only four candidates.[4]
The response to the COVID-19 crisis saw the BC Libertarian party as the only provincial party that opposed the public health measures.
In 2021, Keith MacIntyre was elected as party leader, Sandra Filosof-Schipper as deputy leader with Clayton Welwood remaining as party president. Dylan Davidson was named Party Treasurer, Brandi McLauchlan as Party Secretary and Rachel Whitehouse, Maizy Thorvaldson and Josh Hardy as executive directors.[5] [6]
The BC Libertarian Party adopted private property rights extending from self-ownership and scarcity, and advocated for the creation of a British Columbia Constitution to enshrines and protects property rights.[7] They also stand for free speech except in cases of fraud or violence.[7] It adopts the Austrian School of Economics model, and rejects all government monopolies and rejects collective ownership of resources.[7] It promotes decentralisation – subsidiarity, secession, nullification, and localism – of political units down to the individual as a means of expanding choice and competition in governance for all individuals. It also rejects Federal infringement into areas of Provincial jurisdiction, seeking constitutional reform on the division of powers failing which it proposes secession.[7]
In 2020, the Libertarian Party pledged their support for ending the ICBC monopoly on basic auto insurance, [8] and allowing for more parental and student choice in education,[9] decentralizing decision-making powers to local communities, families, and individuals.[10] Abolishing provincial government monopoly on liquor and cannabis distribution.[11] Adapting to a changing climate and promoting environmental policies that will have the greatest impact.[12] Sweeping tax policy reform, including tripling the basic income tax exemption to $35,000 and abolishing the carbon, fuel, cigarette, liquor, and marijuana taxes.[13] Reducing transportation costs through the elimination of various taxes and regulatory bodies, and opening up the market to new innovations like car sharing, bike sharing, ride sharing, and other transportation solutions.[14] Removing legal barriers to ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft.
| + Election results | |||||||
| Election year | Party leader | No. of overall votes | % of overall total | No. of candidates run | No. of seats won | Presence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 341 | 0.02 | 3 | ||||
| 1991 | 860 | 0.06 | 11 | ||||
| 1996 | 2,041 | 0.13% | 17 | ||||
| 2001 | 0 | 0% | 0 | ||||
| 2005 | 1,053 | 0.06% | 6 | ||||
| 2009 | 1,486 | 0.09% | 6 | ||||
| 2013 | Clayton Welwood[15] | 2,050 | 0.11% | 8 | |||
| 2017 | 7,743 | 0.39% | 30 | ||||
| 2020 | Donald Wilson | 8,360 | 0.44% | 25 | |||
| 2024 | Alex Joehl | 1,337 | 0.07% | 4 |