Chris Buors
Encyclopedia
Chris Buors is a cannabis
activist and politician in Manitoba
, Canada
. He became leader of the Libertarian Party of Manitoba (LPM) in 2003, and oversaw the party's transformation to the Manitoba Marijuana Party (MMP) in 2004. He has also campaigned federally as a candidate of the Marijuana Party of Canada
.
He stood down as leader in 2007 when the party was restructured as the Freedom Party of Manitoba
, although he continued as party president. Buors was 47 years old .
, and worked as a locomotive engineer with the Canadian National Railway
for nineteen years. His life as an activist began in 1997, when he was charged with growing cannabis
in his garden. He refused mandatory counselling and drug testing, and was fired from his job. Much of his subsequent career has been focused on challenging Canada's prohibition laws
on cannabis. He became president of the Anti-Prohibition League of Manitoba, and in 1998 organized the first pro-pot rally in Winnipeg since the 1970s. Buors has also founded a Compassion Club for medicinal marijuana use.
He first campaigned for public office in the 1999 provincial election
, running against provincial Justice Minister Vic Toews
in Rossmere as a candidate of the Libertarian Party. He received 62 votes, while Toews was narrowly defeated by New Democratic Party
candidate Harry Schellenberg
.
, and received 640 votes in Winnipeg South Centre
. He also participated in a 2002 by-election in St. Boniface (435 votes), and ran in the same riding for the 2004 election
(317 votes). His intent was not to win election, but to draw attention to cannabis prohibition and related issues.
Dennis Rice resigned as leader of the Manitoba Libertarian Party two days after the 2003 provincial election
was called, and Buors was quickly chosen as his replacement. By his acknowledgement, the LPM's primary goal for the election was simply to maintain official party status with Elections Manitoba
. He ran in the north-end Winnipeg constituency of St. Johns, and received 32 votes. He continued as LPM leader after the election. In November 2004, the Libertarian Party of Manitoba officially changed its name to the Manitoba Marijuana Party.
viewpoints. He supports principles of individualism
over collectivism
, is an opponent of socialism
, and has described himself as a supporter of Thomas Szasz
and Ludwig Von Mises
. Buors has called for the repeal of all laws which restrict drug purchase and use, and believes the state has no authority to control the private consumption of any substance. He has also written against the decriminalization of marijuana for limited medicinal purposes, arguing that this approach would perpetuate an unjust system of state medicine.
Buors is a friend and supporter of Marc Emery
, whom many consider to be the leader of Canada's cannabis movement.
, fibromyalgia
, multiple sclerosis
, and depression
. Several patients, including one in a wheelchair, appeared in court to join in asking for leniency. While the judge agreed that Buors was helping ill people, he cited Buors's tenacity in defying the law (including an effort to restart his cannabis growing operation immediately after his arrest by soliciting funds and equipment from passers-by) in determining his sentence.
Quebec
politician André Boisclair
against allegations that Boisclair's past cocaine
use made him unfit for public office. Marc Emery has defended Buors against accusations of bigotry.
Buors is a frequent contributor to online discussion forums, and is a prolific writer of letters-to-the-editor. In 2005, he wrote against extraditing
Marc Emery to the United States of America for conspiracy to sell cannabis seeds.
Buors announced his retirement from active political life on November 18, 2005, and accused Wikipedia
of portraying him unfairly by reprinting his comments about homosexuals.
in the 2006 federal election
, as the NDP was the only major party to support an end to Canada's prohibition laws on cannabis. Several other Marijuana Party members, including Marc Emery, also endorsed the NDP for this election.
After the election, Buors wrote a series of letters to the Winnipeg Free Press
newspaper supporting private property rights on aboriginal reserves. He later called for the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan
, arguing that Canada had no historical or business ties to the region and was choosing sides in an "ancient squabble".
The Manitoba Marijuana Party was renamed as the Freedom Party of Manitoba
in 2007. Buors continued as party president, but turned over the leadership to James Cotton
. He planned to run in the electoral division of Burrows, but was unable to do so when the party failed to register any candidates with Elections Manitoba
. The party's current status is unclear.
and Elections Manitoba
. Provincial election expenditures refer to individual candidate expenses. Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available.
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
activist and politician in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He became leader of the Libertarian Party of Manitoba (LPM) in 2003, and oversaw the party's transformation to the Manitoba Marijuana Party (MMP) in 2004. He has also campaigned federally as a candidate of the Marijuana Party of Canada
Marijuana Party of Canada
The Marijuana Party is a Canadian federal political party. Its agenda consists of ending prohibition of cannabis. With the exception of this one issue, the party does not have "official policy" in any other area...
.
He stood down as leader in 2007 when the party was restructured as the Freedom Party of Manitoba
Freedom Party of Manitoba
The Freedom Party of Manitoba is a provincial political party in Manitoba, Canada. The party was created in the mid-1980s as the Libertarian Party of Manitoba, and formally changed its name to the Manitoba Marijuana Party in early 2005 and in 2007 became the Freedom Party of Manitoba...
, although he continued as party president. Buors was 47 years old .
Early life and career
Buors graduated from Elmwood High School in WinnipegWinnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, and worked as a locomotive engineer with the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
for nineteen years. His life as an activist began in 1997, when he was charged with growing cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
in his garden. He refused mandatory counselling and drug testing, and was fired from his job. Much of his subsequent career has been focused on challenging Canada's prohibition laws
Cannabis legalization in Canada
The legal status of cannabis in Canada is under dispute. Superior and appellate courts in Ontario have repeatedly declared Canada's marijuana laws to be of no force and effect. However, challenges to marijuana laws at the federal level have not resulted in the deletion of the appropriate articles...
on cannabis. He became president of the Anti-Prohibition League of Manitoba, and in 1998 organized the first pro-pot rally in Winnipeg since the 1970s. Buors has also founded a Compassion Club for medicinal marijuana use.
He first campaigned for public office in the 1999 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1999
The Manitoba general election of September 21, 1999 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada....
, running against provincial Justice Minister Vic Toews
Vic Toews
Victor "Vic" Toews, PC QC MP is a Canadian politician. He has represented Provencher in the Canadian House of Commons since 2000, and currently serves in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper as Minister of Public Safety. He previously served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from...
in Rossmere as a candidate of the Libertarian Party. He received 62 votes, while Toews was narrowly defeated by New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
candidate Harry Schellenberg
Harry Schellenberg
Harry Schellenberg is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Manitoba legislature from 1993 to 1995 and again from 1999 to 2003, representing the north-end Winnipeg riding of Rossmere for the New Democratic Party....
.
Marijuana Party
Buors ran for the newly-formed Marijuana Party of Canada in the 2000 federal electionCanadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
, and received 640 votes in Winnipeg South Centre
Winnipeg South Centre
Winnipeg South Centre is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1979 and since 1988.-Geography:...
. He also participated in a 2002 by-election in St. Boniface (435 votes), and ran in the same riding for the 2004 election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
(317 votes). His intent was not to win election, but to draw attention to cannabis prohibition and related issues.
Dennis Rice resigned as leader of the Manitoba Libertarian Party two days after the 2003 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 2003
The Manitoba general election held on June 3, 2003 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which won 35 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party finished second with twenty seats...
was called, and Buors was quickly chosen as his replacement. By his acknowledgement, the LPM's primary goal for the election was simply to maintain official party status with Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Manitoba, responsible for the conduct of provincial elections....
. He ran in the north-end Winnipeg constituency of St. Johns, and received 32 votes. He continued as LPM leader after the election. In November 2004, the Libertarian Party of Manitoba officially changed its name to the Manitoba Marijuana Party.
Ideology
Although primarily focused on cannabis legislation, Buors has also written in support of other libertarianLibertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
viewpoints. He supports principles of individualism
Individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
over collectivism
Collectivism
Collectivism is any philosophic, political, economic, mystical or social outlook that emphasizes the interdependence of every human in some collective group and the priority of group goals over individual goals. Collectivists usually focus on community, society, or nation...
, is an opponent of socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
, and has described himself as a supporter of Thomas Szasz
Thomas Szasz
Thomas Stephen Szasz is a psychiatrist and academic. Since 1990 he has been Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse, New York. He is a well-known social critic of the moral and scientific foundations of psychiatry, and of the social...
and Ludwig Von Mises
Ludwig von Mises
Ludwig Heinrich Edler von Mises was an Austrian economist, philosopher, and classical liberal who had a significant influence on the modern Libertarian movement and the "Austrian School" of economic thought.-Biography:-Early life:...
. Buors has called for the repeal of all laws which restrict drug purchase and use, and believes the state has no authority to control the private consumption of any substance. He has also written against the decriminalization of marijuana for limited medicinal purposes, arguing that this approach would perpetuate an unjust system of state medicine.
Buors is a friend and supporter of Marc Emery
Marc Emery
Marc Scott Emery is a Canadian cannabis policy reform advocate, as well as a former cannabis seed seller. He is currently serving a five year sentence in a United States federal prison for selling cannabis seeds....
, whom many consider to be the leader of Canada's cannabis movement.
Imprisonment
Buors was sentenced to six months in prison in November 2004, after pleading guilty to cannabis distribution and marketing charges arising from his operation of the Manitoba Compassion Club. The club served patients suffering from a variety of illnesses including Crohn's diseaseCrohn's disease
Crohn's disease, also known as regional enteritis, is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, causing a wide variety of symptoms...
, fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a medical disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain and allodynia, a heightened and painful response to pressure. It is an example of a diagnosis of exclusion...
, multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
, and depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
. Several patients, including one in a wheelchair, appeared in court to join in asking for leniency. While the judge agreed that Buors was helping ill people, he cited Buors's tenacity in defying the law (including an effort to restart his cannabis growing operation immediately after his arrest by soliciting funds and equipment from passers-by) in determining his sentence.
2005
Later in 2005, while participating in a discussion on the subject of personal versus public discrimination, Buors commented that he has had "no respect for homosexuals" since an adult attempted to molest him in a cinema when he was thirteen. While making no judgement on homosexual activities as such, he wrote that he did not want "such deviants in [his] social circle". He later refused to apologize. Notwithstanding this, Buors has also argued that the state has no right to oversee or restrict consensual private activities between adults. Later in 2005, he defended openly gayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
politician André Boisclair
André Boisclair
André Boisclair is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the leader of the Parti Québécois, a social democratic and separatist party in Quebec....
against allegations that Boisclair's past cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
use made him unfit for public office. Marc Emery has defended Buors against accusations of bigotry.
Buors is a frequent contributor to online discussion forums, and is a prolific writer of letters-to-the-editor. In 2005, he wrote against extraditing
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
Marc Emery to the United States of America for conspiracy to sell cannabis seeds.
Buors announced his retirement from active political life on November 18, 2005, and accused Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
of portraying him unfairly by reprinting his comments about homosexuals.
2006 election and after
Buors endorsed the New Democratic PartyNew Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
in the 2006 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, as the NDP was the only major party to support an end to Canada's prohibition laws on cannabis. Several other Marijuana Party members, including Marc Emery, also endorsed the NDP for this election.
After the election, Buors wrote a series of letters to the Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....
newspaper supporting private property rights on aboriginal reserves. He later called for the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, arguing that Canada had no historical or business ties to the region and was choosing sides in an "ancient squabble".
The Manitoba Marijuana Party was renamed as the Freedom Party of Manitoba
Freedom Party of Manitoba
The Freedom Party of Manitoba is a provincial political party in Manitoba, Canada. The party was created in the mid-1980s as the Libertarian Party of Manitoba, and formally changed its name to the Manitoba Marijuana Party in early 2005 and in 2007 became the Freedom Party of Manitoba...
in 2007. Buors continued as party president, but turned over the leadership to James Cotton
James Cotton (Manitoba politician)
James Cotton is a political figure in Manitoba, Canada. He was chosen as the leader of the Freedom Party of Manitoba in 2007, and intended to lead the party into the 2007 provincial election. He was unable to do so, as the party failed to register any candidates with Elections Manitoba.Cotton was...
. He planned to run in the electoral division of Burrows, but was unable to do so when the party failed to register any candidates with Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Manitoba, responsible for the conduct of provincial elections....
. The party's current status is unclear.
Table of offices held
- Cotton was chosen as leader of a renamed Freedom Party of ManitobaFreedom Party of ManitobaThe Freedom Party of Manitoba is a provincial political party in Manitoba, Canada. The party was created in the mid-1980s as the Libertarian Party of Manitoba, and formally changed its name to the Manitoba Marijuana Party in early 2005 and in 2007 became the Freedom Party of Manitoba...
.
External links
- Chris Buors' published letters
- http://www.chrisbuors.com
Electoral record
All electoral information is taken from Elections CanadaElections Canada
Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency reporting directly to the Parliament of Canada. Its ongoing responsibility is to ensure that Canadians can exercise their choices in federal elections and referenda through an open and impartial process...
and Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba
Elections Manitoba is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Manitoba, responsible for the conduct of provincial elections....
. Provincial election expenditures refer to individual candidate expenses. Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available.