Dear Editor,

You can鈥檛 be a libertarian and at the same time be in favor of using government coercion to block migration. Lauren Southern鈥檚 actions in Italy are a violation of basic libertarian principles and an embarrassment to her former colleagues in the libertarian movement in Canada.

Libertarians want less government interference in both our personal lives and our economic lives. We think the world would be more peaceful and more prosperous if each of us could trade peacefully with whomever we want and from wherever in the world.

This means that we should be allowed to invite onto our property or hire whomever we think would best meet our needs from wherever in the world they might come from.

At present, only three per cent of the world鈥檚 population live in countries they weren鈥檛 born in. Countries with higher proportions of foreign born are more prosperous with happier populations. Twenty per cent of Canadians are foreign born and what a poorer place this would be without our newcomers. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_foreign-born_population)

Countries with greater personal and economic freedom attract people of talent from jurisdictions with less freedom and blocking such movement is inhumane. Estimates vary, but economist believe the world GDP could double if there were fewer border restrictions on the movement of people (https://openborders.info/double-world-gdp/) with many claiming that this change in government policy (relaxing borders) is the single best policy change to increase human well-being.

Paul Geddes, vice president, BC Libertarian Party, Coquitlam