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 29 years old at the time of the election, and lived in Matlock, near Winnipeg Beach. He was previously a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, but left because he believed it was too liberal and did not pay sufficient attention to the concerns of grassroots members.
He became politically active through talks with Chris Buors, who was leader of the small Manitoba Marijuana Party from 2005 to 2007. Buors offered the party leadership to Cotton, who accepted it on condition that the name be changed to the "Freedom Party". While his political views are largely similar to Buors's, Cotton has said that he is "not a marijuana guy".
He planned to run against Justice Minister Dave Chomiak in the division of Kildonan, but was unable to do so when the party could not field the minimum five candidates required for official ballot status. Buors surmised that some people who had promised to run as candidates backed out at the last minute. Cotton himself was not available for comment.
Cotton does not appear to have played an active role with the Freedom Party after the election, although he remained its nominal leader for an unspecified period of time. The party is no longer registered with Elections Manitoba.
In March 2010, the Winnipeg Free Press reported that Cotton plead guilty to income tax evasion over an Internet investment scheme. Cotton was fined $40,000, sentenced to two years of supervised probation and ordered to get treatment for his gambling addiction.
