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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Canada: Marijuana Party And Canadian Action Party Join The Race
Nelson Daily News (Canada) Tuesday 31 Oct 2000 Pubdate: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 Source: Nelson Daily News (CN BC) Author: Bob Hall MARIJUANA PARTY AND CANADIAN ACTION PARTY JOIN THE RACE Two more candidates have entered the local federal election race and though the Canadian Action Party's (CAP) Bev Collins and the Marijuana Party's Reverend Damuzi admit they are long shots, both plan to spend the next month tenaciously getting their message out. "There are more of the alternative parties that are coming on board than ever before and I think that's really good because you have a better democracy when you have more of a choice at the ballot box," Collins told the Daily News. "If you are only going to continuously re-ignite the five mainstream parties then you are never going to see the productive and radical change that is necessary. That's why people come forward with different alternatives and different parties, to try and give people those choices to make because they are dissatisfied by the mainstream parties." Damuzi agrees that even though it's unlikely he will be packing his bags for Ottawa on Nov. 27 as the Kootenay-Boundary-Okanagan MP, representing ideas not usually found with the "Big-5" is vital in democracy. "If you don't give attention to the smaller parties they will always remain smaller parties and those issues will never be important to the Canadian people," said Damuzi. "I think the Canadian people have the right to consider all of these issues separately and each of these parties should receive equal treatment for that reason." Incumbent and Canadian Alliance candidate Jim Gouk reluctantly welcomed Collins and Damuzi to the race. "The Canadian Action Party certainly raises the issues that many people are concerned about and some of their points are valid, so I understand their side that they've got things they think are important and they want the opportunity to address them," Gouk said from Osoyoos where he was officially opening a campaign office. "The counter to that is that there are people who are in the serious running to actually win it and it detracts from the ability to really bring the issues out from the people who most voters will decide to be their elected representative. It's a trade-off you get and the price of democracy." Though she has never held a seat in Parliament, Collins is a veteran on the local political scene. In 1993 she ran under the National Party colours and in 1997 represented CAP. * See 'Bev And The Rev' On Page 3 As was the case in the last election, Collins plans to talk a lot about issues like monetary reform, abolishing free trade and NAFTA, and "standing up to corporate rule" in Canada. "Our country is the verge of corporate takeover so it's either now or never to let people know what's going on and how we can stop it," said Collins. Damuzi is new to Nelson and to federal politics. The 33-year-old senior writer for Cannabis Culture Magazine feels that the West Kootenay is an ideal riding to run for a party which has as many as 65 candidates Canada-wide. "Nelson seems to be an excellent area for a candidate precisely because the marijuana economy is so strong here and so vital to business and putting the food on tables for families," Damuzi said. "I'm hoping to create a better understanding of the effects of the drug war on Canada. It's not a single issue, marijuana spreads into the hearts and lives of everybody in this country." Both candidates agree that getting enough votes to win the riding is a daunting task. "Actually getting elected means that there is a lot that we can do in Parliament," Collins said. "But, the reality is we don't have the same kind of funding, we don't have the same kind of coverage, so to begin with we are battling a much greater potential than the other mainstream parties are. What I want to do is reach out and give the people a message and what they do with that information will be entirely up to them." Damuzi realizes that many people may perceive his party as a "joke," but will welcome any kind of attention he can get in the next month. "I think that may work in our favour sometimes," Damuzi said of some people not taking his party seriously. "Kind of like the Rhino Party, it's seen as something funny you would tell a friend, but if that happens then the message gets out. But, encoded in that is a very serious message and when people find out what marijuana legalization is about then maybe they will come to an understanding of it that is better than they had before and it will no longer be a joke." Though he doesn't have a problem with Collins, Gouk does feel that Damuzi's presence is a distraction.
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