As eye weekly reports, Louis Riel author Chester Brown is looking to get in on the federal election as a Libertarian candidate. He’s currently trying to amass the 100 signatures necessary to get the party’s nomination for the Trinity-Spadina riding, though even if he does, it’s unlikely that incumbent Olivia Chow will be too worried.
As eye’s Marc Weisblott writes, The Beguiling is soliciting signatures on Brown’s behalf, with this caveat: “Please note: You can nominate Chester and then decide to vote for someone who might actually get elected.”
Weisblott also notes that Brown received a $16,000 Canada Council grant for his next graphic-novel project, “a 200-page chronicle of his experiences paying for sexual services.” Is anyone else worried that the Tories are smelling blood in the water?
Furthermore:
How is a candidate telling voters that the government should keep as much distance as rationally possible going to explain that one?
“I don’t understand why those grants are there,” says Brown. “If you can’t make money off your art then you should get a real job to support yourself.
“I also don’t think that people collecting welfare are doing anything wrong. What I’m taking a stand against are the people who do the distributing.
“And, if I didn’t take it, the money would probably go to someone less deserving than me.”
Let’s not forget that star CanLit author Thomas King – whose next project, I think we can assume, is probably not a 200-page chronicle of his experiences paying for sexual services – is also running in this election. He’s an NDP candidate in Guelph, under the presumably more voter-friendly name of Tom King.
[...] through a program which, as a card-carrying Libertarian, he would rather not exist met with some apparent weariness: ‘Is anyone else worried that the Tories are smelling blood in the water?’” - [...]