Lloyd Walker

Lloyd Walker is a politician and political activist in Ontario, Canada. He was the leader of the Freedom Party of Ontario from 1997 to 2002.

Walker became a follower of Ayn Rand's Objectivist philosophy in the early 1970s, after reading the novel "Atlas Shrugged". A resident of London, Ontario, he voted for a candidate of the Freedom Party in the 1985 provincial election and joined the party shortly thereafter. In 1986, he was chosen as its vice-president.

Walker was chosen as interim leader of the Freedom Party in April 1997, following the resignation of Jack Plant. He was subsequently confirmed as the party's official leader, and served in this capacity during the 1999 provincial election.

By his own admission, Walker declined his ballot in the 1988 federal election, claiming that none of the candidates were worthy of support. He endorsed a candidate of the Reform Party of Canada in the 1993 election, though he claimed he did not actively support the party's platform. (It may be noted that there was no Freedom Party of Canada during this period.)

Like many others in the Freedom Party, Walker has been a vocal opponent of closed shops as established by labour unions and forced membership in any other type of association (e.g. Business Improvement Areas). He also supported Sunday shopping reform in the 1980s and 1990s and has expressed opposition to rent control, official bilingualism and government-imposed monopolies. He also has supported proportional representation.

In 1999, Raphael Bergmann and Tyler Chilcott of London, Ontario received a letter from London police. The letter alleged that Bergmann and Chilcott were members of a far-right Northern Alliance organization and informed them that they were "required" to come to the London Police station and explain what the letter referred to as their "extreme right-wing beliefs".

The recipients of this letter contacted the offices of the Freedom Party. Taking up the issue as a "free-speech" case, Walker requested that then-Ontario Solicitor General David Tsubouchi provide a list of "extreme" political beliefs that could result in police action. Tsubouchi's office replied that no such list exists. Walker and other Freedom Party leaders have maintained that their involvement in the issue was motivated by a concern for freedom of expression, and not by any form of agreement with, or support for, the views of the men who received the letter. Walker has stated that the greatest difficulty in defending freedom of speech is that many people confuse the defense of freedom of speech with defense or endorsement of what is being said.

Walker stepped down as Freedom Party leader in 2002 and was replaced by Paul McKeever. He did not run as a candidate in the 2003 provincial election, and, while still a member, is not actively involved in the party at present.

Electoral Record

*Ontario general election, 1987, London Centre, 589 votes (winner: David Peterson, Ontario Liberal Party)
*Ontario general election, 1990, London Centre, 498 votes (winner: Marion Boyd, Ontario New Democratic Party)
*Ontario general election, 1995, London Centre, 452 votes (winner: Marion Boyd, Ontario New Democratic Party)
*Ontario general election, 1999, London—Fanshawe, 293 votes (winner: Frank Mazzilli, Ontario Progressive Conservative Party)