The Western Standard (Calgary, Alberta, CA), January 3, 2009

To recognize the work of Canadians who have advanced economic and personal liberty in 2008, the Western Standard has produced “Liberty 100,” a list of the top 100 friends of liberty in Canada.

You can find the Top 10 from the “Liberty 100” here. Ezra Levant was our #1 pick for his work in defence of freedom of speech and expression.

The Top 25 from the “Liberty 100” can be found here. It’s a diverse collection of people, and, while not all of them are libertarians, they have all helped to resist the growth of government in some way.

The Top 50 from the “Liberty 100” found here looks a lot like the Top 10 and the Top 25. It’s a list of advocates, think-tankers, journalists, partisans – the usual suspects. However, it might surprise some to see civil libertarian David Eby on the list, and drug policy reformers like Marc Emery, Dennis Young and Krista Zoobkoff -- but there are many good conservative reasons to oppose the war on drugs including public health, concerns with child sexual exploitation, the misallocation of policing resources and the growing abuse of asset forfeiture laws.

With that in mind, readers should not be surprise to see Bruce Alexander with the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy on the Top 75 list in the #55 spot.

Liberal MP Keith Martin made the list for his opposition to Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, and so did blogger Kathy Shaidle for the same reason.

Here’s the “Liberty 100” Top 75 (51-75) for 2008:

51. Kevin Gaudet
Canadian Taxpayers Federation
www.taxpayer.com

Kevin Gaudet is the Ontario director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

52. Maureen Bader
Canadian Taxpayers Federation
www.taxpayer.com

Maureen Bader is the B.C. Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

53. Colin Craig
Canadian Taxpayers Federation
www.taxpayer.com

Colin Craig is the Manitoba director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

54. Will Wilkinson
Cato Institute
www.cato.org

Will Wilkinson is a research fellow with the Cato Institute working on a wide range of issues from the moral dimensions of Social Security reform to the policy implications of the psychology of happiness.

55. Bruce Alexander
Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy
www.cfdp.ca 

Bruce Alexander is a founding member of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy.

56. Robert Jago
A dime a dozen political blog
www.rjjago.wordpress.com

Robert Jago is a Vancouver born and raised "American Indian" who blogs at the Western Standard and on his own "Dime a dozen political blog."

57. Lindy Vopnfjord
Major Maker
www.majormaker.com 

Lindy Vopnfjord is an acclaimed singer-songwriter and lead singer of Major Maker. He is also a libertarian who takes time out of his busy schedule to perform every year at the Liberty Summer Seminar.

58. Jacob Levy
McGill University
www.jacobtlevy.blogspot.com

Jacob Levy is associate professor of political science at McGill University.

59. Janet Ajzenstat
McMaster University
www.janetajzenstat.wordpress.com  

Dr. Janet Ajzenstat is the author of The Canadian Founding: John Locke and Parliament (2007) and The Once and Future Canadian Democracy: An Essay in Political Thought (2003) in which she argues that Canada’s founders were proponents of the classical liberal ideals of philosopher John Locke.

60. Andre Arthur
Member of Parliament 
www.parl.gc.ca

André Arthur is an independent, libertarian-minded Member of Parliament for Portneuf--Jacques--Cartier.

61. Keith Martin
Member of Parliament
www.gokeith.ca 

Keith Martin is a Liberal Member of Parliament who distinguished himself in 2008 with his opposition to Section 13 of the CHRA.

62. George Dance
Ontario Libertarian Party
www.libertarian.on.ca

George Dance is a director with the Ontario Libertarian Party and a columnist for Nolan Chart.

63. Randy Hillier
Ontario PC MPP 
www.randyhillier.com 

Randy Hillier is an Ontario PC MPP and a property rights advocate.

64. Paul Geddes
Libertarian Party
www.libertarian.ca 

Paul Geddes is a director and candidate for the Libertarian Party.

65. Kathy Shaidle
Five feet of fury blog
www.fivefeetoffury.com

Kathy Shaidle is a free speech blogger and author of "The Tyranny of Nice."

66. Moin Yahya
University of Alberta
www.ualberta.ca

Dr. Moin Yahya is an assistant professor of law at the University of Alberta and a director with the Canadian Constitution Foundation. Yahya also blogs for the Western Standard.

67. Glenn Fox
University of Guelph

Glenn Fox is a free market agricultural and natural resource economist and professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Guelph.

68. Pierre Desrochers
University of Toronto

Pierre Desrochers is an associate professor of geography at the University of Toronto.

69. Troy Lanigan 
Canadian Taxpayers Federation
www.taxpayer.com 

Troy Lanigan is the national communications director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

70. Paul Hinman 
Wildrose Alliance Politics
www.wildrosealliance.ca

Paul Hinman is leader of the free market-oriented Wildrose Alliance party in Alberta.

71. Barbara Branden
www.barbarabranden.com

Barbara Branden is the Winnipeg-born author of “The Passion of Ayn Rand.”

72. Jason Clemens
Fraser Institute
www.fraserinstitute.com

Jason Clemens is a senior fellow with the Fraser Institute and director of research and strategic development at the San Francisco-based Pacific Research Institute.

73. Mary Lou Gutscher

Mary Lou Gutscher is a past president of the Freedom Party of Ontario and has been active with the International Society for Individual Liberty.

74. Peter Cowley
Fraser Institute
www.fraserinstitute.org

Peter Cowley is the director of School Performance Studies at the Fraser Institute.

75. Michael Wagner

Dr. Michael Wagner is a home schooler and author of "Standing on Guard for Thee," a history of the Canadian social conservative movement.

Congratulations to the Top 75 of the “Liberty 100.” Stay tuned for the final 25.

Posted by Matthew Johnston