An Interview with Tim Moen (Four)
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/11/08
Abstract
Tim Moen is the President of the Libertarian Party of Canada. He discusses: Bill C-51, Bill C-13, or the TPP; overarching mission; proper limit and role of government; vision for Canada; principles; activists, authors, bloggers, writers, and so on, that influence him and deserve greater exposure; and philosophers and books that most influenced him.
Keywords: Libertarianism, Libertarian Party of Canada, Tim Moen.
An Interview with Tim Moen: Leader, Libertarian Party of Canada (Part Four)[1],[2]
*Please see the footnotes, bibliography, and citation style listing after the interview.*
1. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Would the Libertarian Party of Canada replace Bill C-51, Bill C-13, or the TPP (in part or whole) with other bills or trade partnerships or repeal them then leave things with those actions?
Tim Moen: Yes, we would repeal all of these.
A proper international trade agreement is between two people or businesses that agree to trade with each other.
Of course, governments who are beholden to special interest groups (i.e. ideologues, a business lobby, union lobby) make it their business to introduce trade barriers and interfere with these agreements and so then other governments retaliate with economic and trade policy to punish unfavourable trade conditions for their people.
My approach would be to work on eliminating all trade barriers that were in my power to eliminate so that Canadians could trade with whomever they want to be unencumbered by the Canadian government.
I would then lean on other governments to remove the trade barriers they put in place that make it difficult for Canadians to trade with citizens in their nation.
2. Jacobsen: What is the overarching mission of the Libertarian Party of Canada?
Moen: Our overarching mission is to limit government and decrease the amount of institutionalized initiatory violence being used against the very people government is supposed to protect form initiatory violence.
3. Jacobsen: What is the proper limit and role of government?
Moen: The proper role of government is to protect individuals from initiatory violence. The government gets its authority delegated from us (in theory) and since no human has the right to initiate violence then we can’t properly delegate that right to government, but we do have the right to defend ourselves and others and so it is reasonable to delegate that role to government.
Not everyone is equipped or competent to use violence to defend themselves and so this is the role government takes on as well as dispute resolution.
Anytime a person is in an involuntary position of power the proper thing to do is to eliminate the need for that involuntary relationship by empowering others. As a parent, I want fully actualized children that aren’t yoked to me through dependence as they enter their adult years. I want our relationship to transition to a voluntary one.
I personally think that the future of mankind will look very different and that our relationships with institutions like the government will eventually transition from involuntary to voluntary. I think it is limited thinking to imagine that there are some services that can only ever be provided through involuntary means.
4. Jacobsen: What is the vision for Canada through the Libertarian Party of Canada?
Moen: We are not utopians, we don’t have a central plan or vision for Canadians. Our vision would be for a Canada that is full of people who are free to pursue the destiny and vision they choose for their lives.
Amazing positive unexpected consequences occur when people are free and it is our belief that Canada will flourish in a way that we can’t imagine or predict.
5. Jacobsen: What other principles besides freedom contribute to, or would contribute to, the flourishing of Canadians within the Libertarian Party of Canada’s view?
Moen: Beyond the obvious benefits of having an economy on steroids, there would be immense social benefits. Liberty implies that you are self-owned and so you own both the positive and negative effects of your actions in this world.
People often forget that liberty doesn’t just denote freedom but also accountability. If you do harm it is your job to make things right. So, for example, we believe justice ought to focus on restoration of victims by criminals as well as protecting society.
Personal accountability also means that you have a greater sense of duty to your fellow citizens. That if you have a neighbour that falls on hard times you help them out as opposed to outsourcing their care to a soulless institution.
More closely connected communities and families, more charity, a greater sense of civic pride, an internal locus of morality and control, and far less anxiety are all things that I believe emerge in a culture that embraces liberty.
6. Jacobsen: Who are activists, authors, bloggers, writers, and so on, that influence you, and deserve greater exposure?
Moen: On various liberty subjects I recommend Murray Rothbard, Frederic Bastiat, Ron Paul, Ludwig Von Mises, Friedrich Hayek, Nassim Taleb, Peter Jaworski, Tom Woods, Jeffrey Tucker, Stefan Kinsella, Dr. Carl Hart, Butler Shaffer, John Taylor Gatto, Ayn Rand and Adam Smith.
A few authors that have been particularly helpful to me in my personal development are Marshall Rosenberg, Michael Shermer, and Tony Robbins.
7. Jacobsen: What philosophers and books most influence you? Why?
Moen: Ayn Rand’s writings had a big influence on me. The logic and precision of her writing and ideas helped me understand the reasoning from first principles. Thinking from principles instead of intuitions has helped me develop my political philosophy.
Marshall Rosenbergs’ book “Nonviolent Communication” had a huge impact on my personal life and relationships. I see this book as taking the principle of non-aggression and applying it to communication.
Being able to engage in conversations, not as battles of domination, but as a way of having our needs mutually met had huge benefits in both strengthening relationships with the people I love but also being able to communicate more effectively with audiences and constituents.
8. Jacobsen: Thank you for your time, Mr. Moen.
[1] Leader, Libertarian Party of Canada.
[2] Individual Publication Date: November 8, 2018: http://www.in-sightjournal.com/moen-four; Full Issue Publication Date: January 1, 2019: https://in-sightjournal.com/insight-issues/.
License
In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.in-sightpublishing.com.
Copyright
© Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing 2012-Present. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Scott Douglas Jacobsen and In-Sight Publishing with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. All interviewees and authors co-copyright their material and may disseminate for their independent purposes.
In-Sight Publishing 