Jean-Serge Brisson

Jean-Serge Brisson (born in 1954 in Embrun, Ontario) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is the former leader of the Libertarian Party of Canada, which he joined in 1986.

Brisson was raised in the francophone region of eastern Ontario, and still lives in Embrun. Since 1974, he has been the owner of Independent Radiators, a small welding business.

Brisson has conducted a personal campaign of civil disobedience against Canada's seatbelt laws since 1988. In 1975, he was involved in an automobile accident while driving a Chevy Vega, and was catapulted into the back seat as the car's roof was crushed. He is convinced that his decision not to wear a seatbelt on this occasion saved his life. As a libertarian, he also opposes seatbelt laws on the grounds of personal discretion.

He spent twenty days in jail in 2000 after being convicted of driving while under suspension for not paying a seatbelt-related charge dating back to 1989, and was placed in solitary confinement after starting a hunger strike. At the time of his incarceration, his unpaid fines relating to seatbelt violations and driving while under suspension totaled over $12,000.

Brisson has not submitted an income tax return since 1991, has never collected the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST), and has not collected the provincial sales tax since 1991. He also opposes Canada's laws mandating usage of the metric system.

Brisson became the Libertarian Party's "de facto" leader in 1997, when previous leader Robert Morse moved to Mexico for a job position. He was appointed interim leader in 1998, and was elected party leader on May 22, 2000.

He is also an executive member of the Libertarian Party of Ontario. He has not campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons since becoming leader of the federal party. Just before the 2004 federal election, he had been elected councillor in his municipality, and felt it was improper to run in a federal election so close to the municipal election.

He withdrew from the 2006 federal election after having filed a complaint against the Liberal Party of Canada on the illegal usage of $1.2 million from the sponsorship scandal. Two letters filed with Elections Canada asking for the deregistration of the Liberal Party have not been answered by the agency.

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.

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 Poirier, Liberal)