Jean-Serge Brisson

Jean-Serge Brisson (born June 28, 1954) is a Canadian political activist, tax reform advocate, politician, and author. He is a former leader of the Libertarian Party of Canada and gained national notoriety in the 1990s for his opposition to businesses being forced to collect the provincial sales tax (PST) without being remunerated.

Early life

Brisson was born in Embrun, Ontario, a small village to the east of Ottawa and raised on a dairy farm.^[1] He describes his early experiences with jobs and bosses to have put him off from ever being able to work for a boss, wanting to instead start his own business and be his own boss. He first apprenticed as a radiator technician and, in 1974, opened his own company in Embrun, Independent Radiator Co.

Political life

Libertarian candidate

Brisson has been a candidate for the Libertarian Party of Canada and the Libertarian Party of Ontario in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell and Ottawa South. He has never been elected provincially or federally.

Leader of the Libertarian Party of Canada

Brisson was elected as the leader of the party in 1999 and served until May 18, 2008. Brisson credits himself with organizing the party to be able to re-register itself as an official party with Elections Canada and for running more candidates.^[2]

City Councillor

Following three unsuccessful attempts (including a narrow miss in 2000), Brisson was elected to the municipal council of Russell Township in November 2003 with 1,639 votes. As Councillor he opposed municipal legislation requiring all employees of local government to be proficient in both French and English. He was defeated in his bid for re-election on November 13, 2006 in the 2006 municipal election.

In the 2010 municipal election on October 25, 2010, he unsuccessfully sought election to city council again. With 1,045 votes, he placed ninth out of the nine candidates seeking the four council sets.

Opposition to PST collection

In the early 1990s, Brisson refused to continue collecting the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) putting forward the idea to the then New Democratic Party of Bob Rae, that collection of any money by small business for any government is slavery. Also the Progressive Conservatives of Brian Mulroney introduced the Goods and Sales Tax (GST) in Canada to replace the manufacturing sales tax. Brisson argues that customers should be sending in their taxes to the Ontario government themselves, the Ontario government mandated that all businesses charge the sales tax when a customer was purchasing a good or service since 1961, then send that money to the government. Brisson said he never agreed to be hired as a tax collector for the provincial government, but if he was going to be doing their work, he expected to be paid the same as other provincial tax collectors, which at the time Brisson's shop rate was approximately $30 per hour.^[2] However, the government would not pay businesses for the added responsibilities to the business, which Brisson argued was a form of slavery. Brisson documented his experience in his book titled Tea Party of One: All Governments Invited.^[2]

Electoral record (provincial and federal)

• Canadian federal election, 1988, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, 335 votes (winner: Don Boudria, Liberal)
• Ontario general election, 1990, Prescott and Russell, 618 votes (winner: Jean Poirier, Liberal)
• Canadian federal election, 1993, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, 244 votes (winner: Don Boudria, Liberal)
• Ontario general election, 1995, Prescott and Russell, 626 votes (winner: Jean-Marc Lalonde, Liberal)
• Ontario general election, 2007, Ottawa South, 384 votes (winner: Dalton McGuinty, Liberal)
• Canadian federal election, 2008, Ottawa South, 244 votes (winner: David McGuinty, Liberal)
• Canadian federal election, 2011, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, 194 votes (winner: Pierre Lemieux, Conservative)
• Ontario general election, 2011, Ottawa South, 252 votes (winner: Dalton McGuinty, Liberal)
• Ontario by-election election, 2013, Ottawa South, 208 votes (winner: John Fraser, Liberal)
• Ontario general election, 2014, Ottawa South, 273 votes (winner: John Fraser, Liberal)
• Canadian federal election, 2015, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, 377 votes (winner: Francis Drouin, Liberal)

References