Ian Torn could have gone to the Liberals, Conservatives, New Democrats or the Greens.

Instead, in his first stab at elected public office, Torn, who is running for MP in Vancouver Kingsway, picked the People’s Party of Canada.

With his background as a son of a refugee, Torn’s choice is interesting because of the controversial positions taken by the party around immigration and multiculturalism.

The family of his father fled Indonesia during a period of civil turmoil related to the communist insurgency. The refugees went to The Netherlands, and from there, immigrated to Canada.

After all, the People’s Party wants Canada to accept fewer immigrants, and to abolish the official policy of multiculturalism.

For the 31-year-old Torn, who was born and raised in Canada, it was the party’s commitment to free speech that drew him in.

According to Torn, freedom of speech and expression is getting stifled as perceived “right-wing” views are not being allowed to be aired.

Torn also claimed that some opinions are being hastily branded as a “hate speech”, and denied a platform.

“It means that we cannot openly argue values with facts or examples,” Torn told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview Wednesday (September 18).

As a result, Torn continued, “a lot of talking points that need and should be discussed, for good or bad, isn’t being addressed at all”.

Protection against “censorship and discrimination” is a part of the People’s Party’s platform for the October 21 federal election.

“What some people find politically incorrect, offensive or even hateful cannot serve as the legal basis for discrimination and censorship,” according to the party’s platform. “Canadians should be able to enjoy maximum freedom of conscience and expression as guaranteed in Section 2 of the Charter.”

The party pledges to restrict the definition of hate speech in the Criminal Code to “to expression which explicitly advocates the use of force against identifiable groups or persons based on protected criteria such as religion, race, ethnicity, sex, or sexual orientation”.

The code provides that it is illegal to communicate “statements in any public place” that incite “hatred against any identifiable group where such incitement is likely to lead to a breach of the peace”.

The code also states that anyone who communicates statements, “other than in private conversation”, that promote “hatred against any identifiable group” is guilty of an “indictable offence”.

Grounds for defence include proof that the “statements communicated were true”.

Also a defence is “if the statements were relevant to any subject of public interest, the discussion of which was for the public benefit, and if on reasonable grounds” are believed to be “true” by the person who made the utterance.

According to Torn, who works as a manager in the video game industry, “political correctness is just a small symptom of the larger problem that gets in the way”.

“Good or bad, we need to know the views of all Canadians in order to address their concerns,” Torn said.  “Even if misguided or extreme, their concerns are legitimate. And without the ability to openly know these and discuss those concerns, there is no way for us as a society to find a solution.”