PfSEE
FOftll
Voter
Information
Sex
Party
positions
itself
against
mainstream
Editor's
note:
While
the
early
election
call
did
not
allow
enough
time
for
The
Sex
Party
to
prepare
a
slate
of
federal
candiates,
we
thought
Free
Forum
readers
would
enjoy
a
glimpse
into
this
unique
new
B.C.
based
party,
a
party
that
may
well
offer
an
interesting
option
in
the
next
provincial
or
federal
election.
by
Hilary
Onas
The
Ubyssey
(University
of
British
Columbia)
Google
"sex
party"
and
among
the
approximately
43
million
hits
that
come
up
is
the
official
website
of
The
Sex
Party
(TSP),
a
BC-based
fringe
political
party
that
materialised
earlier
this
year.
Sex
Party
leader
John
Ince
said
he
understands
the
stigma
that
gets
attached
to
sex
in
politics
that's
part
of
the
reason
the
party
exists
today.
Ince
said
his
frustration
with
speaking
to
politicians
at
various
levels
of
government
and
discovering
they
had
no
intention
of
getting
involved
in
sex
issues,
also
prompted
the
party's
creation.
"Politicians
want
to
avoid
the
subject
of
sex,"
he
said.
TSP
intends
to
develop
what
they
term
a
"sex-positive
culture."
"We
argue
that
there's
an
overwhelming
amount
of
evidence
to
suggest
that
as
individuals,
and
in
our
institutions,
there
are
a
lot
of
negative
attitudes
to
sex,"
Ince
said.
As
an
example,
he
cited
an
experience
TSP
had
with
Canada
Post
and
the
BC
Liquor
Control
and
Licensing
Branch
earlier
this
year.
Canada
Post
refused
to
distribute
TSP
election
flyers
fearing
its
sexually
explicit
content
would
offend
the
public.
As
well,
the
BC
Liquor
Branch
prohibited
TSP
from
serving
alcohol
at
its
SexArtVoteYes!
(SAW)
fundraising
event
due
to
the
nature
of
the
event's
entertainment,
which
included
live
sex
acts.
TSP
is
pursuing
legal
action
against
both
Canada
Post
and
the
BC
Liquor
Branch
with
the
aid
of
some
UBC
law
students.
In
the
future
Ince
and
TSP
would
like
to
challenge
what
they
deem
the
"sex-negative"
policies
governing
sex
work.
TSP
favours
a
total
normalisation
of
indoor
sex
work.
"There
is
no
way
a
sex
worker
can
legally
get
a
license
to
do
sex
work,
in
commercial
premises..
.It's
one
of
the
things
that
helps
keep
prostitutes
on
the
street,"
said
Ince.
N
TSP's
ideas
on
educational
reform,
however,
have
been
the
most
controversial.
Instead
of
sex
education
being
centred
on
harm
reduction,
teaching
youths
about
sexually
transmitted
diseases
and
pregnancy,
TSP
wants
to
see
its
approach
of
"sexual
gradualism"
adopted
throughout
BC.
"Sexual
gradualism
would
focus
on
giving
individuals
the
skills
to
make
sex
emotionally
and
physically
rewarding,"
said
Ince.
The
skills
in
question
include
sexual
experimentation
with
the
self
(masturbation),
the
creation
of
a
comfortable
dialogue
about
sex,
and
"erotic
exploration"
with
peers.
Ince
would
like
to
see
the
aforementioned
reforms
incorporated
into
the
school
curriculum
starting
in
grade
10.
"It
would
be
an
elective
in
the
same
way
an
art
class
is
an
elective,"
he
said.
Ince
acknowledged
that
the
chances
of
a
Sex
Party
candidate
being
elected
to
public
office
from
the
"fringes"
of
the
political
system
are
slim.
"We
envision
the
political
as
more
than
just
getting
a
candidate
elected,"
said
Ince.
"Part
of
our
mandate
is
actually
to
educate
mainstream
politicians."
Sam
Heppell,
president
of
the
University
of
British
Columbia
New
Democratic
Party,
believes
TSP
is
achieving
this
goal.
'They
definitely
make
a
contribution,"
he
said.
"If
they're
encouraging
increased
interest
in
the
political
process
that's
great
...
At
the
same
time
people
do
need
to
be
smart
when
it
comes
to
voting
you
only
get
one
vote."
And
Heppell
feels
that
TSP
has
a
legitimate
cause.
"I
think
it's
definitely
a
valid
criticism
that
sexual
issues
aren't
on
the
political
agenda,"
he
added.
In
the
provincial
election
last
May,
the
three
Sex
Party
candidates
who
ran
managed
305
votes
between
them.BC
is
home
to
approximately
40
officially
recognised
political
parties,
by
far
the
most
of
any
Canadian
province.
"Some
provinces
would
have
a
higher
tolerance
for
different
views
.
.
.
some
would
be
more
aggressive
about
keeping
a
tight
reign
on
how
official
party
recognition
and
elections
would
work,"
said
UBC
political
science
professor
Gerald
Baier.
"There
might
be
a
more
tolerant
tradition
for
a
variety
of
perspec-tives
in
BC,"
said
Baier.
Baier
also
believes
fringe
parties
like
TSP
appeal
to
young
people
who
are
disenchanted
with
mainstream
parties
and
politicians.
'Those
parties
might
touch
on
some
of
the
lifestyle
issues
that
students
are
more
interested
in,"
he
said.
Ince
has
other
ideas
on
why
students
should
get
involved
with
TSP.
"We
were
really
conscious
that
when
we
used
the
name
Sex
that
it
was
a
double
entendre.
is
political;
party
is
fun,"
said
"If
students
are
intere
parties
that
are
just
unlike
they've
ever
seen,
getting
in
in
our
SAW
events
is
amazing.,
there's
a
whole
aspect
of
having
I
TSP
may
be
expand
its
particular
brand
of
fun
fede
In
the
future
they
aspire
to
taket
message
across
Canada
and
rua
the
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election.
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by
the
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Court
of
Canada,
voting
rights
wen
7
CAiciiiucju
j
an
iffitiaioo
Green
Party
of
Canada
-
Caribou-Prince
George:
Alex
Bracewell,
Prince
George-Peace
River:
Hilary
Crowley
Liberal
Party
of
Canada
-
Caribou-Prince
George:
Simon
Yu,
Prince
George-Peace
River:
Nathan
Bauder
Marxist-Leninist
Party
of
Canada
-
Caribou-Prince
George:
Carol
Lee
Chapman
Itnformation
courtesyiUniversity
of
Guelph
Democracy
Education,
Departmes
Members
of
Parliament
candidates
in
the
Caribou-Prince
George
and
Prince
George-Peace
River
ridings
Canadian
Action
Party
-
Caribou-Prince
George:
Bev
Collins
Christian
Heritage
Party
-
Caribou-Prince
George:
Chris
Kempling
Conservative
Party
of
Canada
-
Caribou-Prince
George:
Richard
Harris,
Prince
George-Peace
River:
Jay
Hill
The
New
Democratic
Party
of
Canada
-
Caribou-Prince
George:
Alfred
Trudeau,
Prince
George-Peace
River:
Malcolm
Crockett
There
are
several
additional
registered
political
parties
participating
in
the
2006
federal
election,
but
there
are
no
candidates
in
the
Prince
George
area
ridings.
The
other
political
parties
are
as
follows:
Animal
AlianceJ
Iment
Voters
Party
of
Canada,
Bloc
Quebecois,
Communist
Party
of
Canada,
First
Peoples
National
Party
of
Canada,
Libertarian
Party
of
Canada,
Marijuana
Party,
Progressive
Canadian
Party,
Western
Block
Party
'