The Leader of the Libertarian Party of Ontario will be running in the by-election for the Bay of Quinte riding.
Sixty-one-year-old Mark Snow currently lives near Oxford Mills (near Kemptville) and is a married father of three.
Snow is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces. In two separate stints, Snow called the Quinte region home (Brighton 1966-72/ Trenton 1978-81). Thirty years of his service was spent in the infantry.
We asked Snow about the main focus of the party, which is now more than 50 years old.
“We are a less government party that believes in individual freedoms, personal responsibility, and getting the government as much out of our lives as possible.”
He says they believe Ontario is a sovereign state within the union of Canada and they intend to maximize the autonomy to create a better Ontario.
Quinte News asked Snow how the party competes against larger, more well established parties such as the PCs, NDP, and Liberals.
“We’re a small party, we’re self -funded, we’re dedicated, we’re honest, we believe in what we are doing. When you believe in something, you just keep going.”
Like other candidates in the race, Snow pointed to affordable housing as a major concern. Other issues include taxation and food inflation.
Snow discussed health care and says the party believes in what he calls a decentralized approach.
“When Doug Ford took office, there was a $64 billion budget (health care budget), today it’s $74 billion. It was bad, but better. Today it’s worse, but $10 billion more and 50 per cent less outcomes.”
He says there is only one way to fix it.
“That is to go back to the LHIN’s model (Local Health Integration Network), the 14 regions within the province, attach the funding to each and every individual in the province.”
Snow says all of that funding would stay within that Local Health Integration Network. He says currently 49% of all money within the Ministry of Health goes to the bureaucracy to run the ministry.
What about the housing crisis? He says government is not the solution to fixing it.
“We are going to reinstitute the Land Patent Grant System and start issuing parcels of Crown Land to up to a million people in the Province of Ontario.”
Snow’s full interview with Quinte News can be heard below
