Libertarian candidate Michelle Lashbrook, a resident of Callander is taking her second run at being the MPP for Nipissing, after an unsuccessful effort in 2022, finishing seventh out of eight candidates and garnering one per cent of the votes.
Lashbrook has spent her entire life in northern Ontario and she and her partner Pat have five children and 10 grandchildren between them with #11 on the way, and run a small business out of their home.
She says she was attracted to the party because it stands for freedom of choice and personal responsibility.
"Having experienced the heavy arm of government overreach during Covid, having freedom of choice is a main issue that I am passionate about, along with decentralization and the restoring and protecting of property rights," she told BayToday, adding the OLP platform is focused on protecting and defending individual freedoms and personal choice.
"The Ontario Libertarian Party would end vaccine mandates and defend the right to informed consent, allowing Ontarians to make their own decisions about experimental medical treatments. The OLP advocates for the rescinding of provincial COVID acts and regulations that restrict freedoms of movement, expression, and assembly. In place of mask mandates, the OLP proposes that public health officials focus on providing credible information to help individuals make informed choices. The OLP Platform emphasizes a return to personal autonomy and freedom of choice in the face of past and ongoing public health measures."
She also wants to see more decentralization and the ability of MPPs to have more power over their own ridings.
"It wouldn’t matter if I got 100 per cent of the votes, there’s nothing that I could do to make effective change in the riding because, under the current provincial government system, MPPs have no ability to make changes within their own ridings as they are required to answer to and get permission from the centralized authority of Queen’s Park and to their own party whip.
"The Ontario Libertarian Party aims to reverse this by decentralizing power and restoring the authority of MPPs to make decisions that align with the specific needs and priorities of their local communities. By empowering MPPs to act in the best interest of their ridings, communities would have a say in how their funds are spent and issues addressed."
Another issue that Lashbrook is passionate about is private property rights.
"I am frustrated by what I see as an ever-growing web of government interference. People are losing control over their land. Bureaucrats make decisions that strip away our freedoms, and it’s time to push back. The OLP would be calling for a full review and repeal of these intrusive policies and restore the rights of property owners. This would include the Municipal Act, Conservation Authority mandates, MPAC assessments, and Conservation Officers operating under the Hunting and Fishing Regulations Act."
The Ontario Libertarian Party outlines what it is all about on its website.