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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Canada: Alliance Dumps Legalizing Pot Reference
Calgary Sun, The (CN AB)
Thursday 12 Oct 2000 Website: http://www.canoe.ca/CalgarySun/ Author: Mark Brennae ALLIANCE DUMPS LEGALIZING POT REFERENCE OTTAWA -- The Canadian Alliance has backed away from its stand on legalizing marijuana for medicinal use and abandoning jail sentences for simple possession. Last week, the Alliance Web site suggested the party would not punish simple possession of small amounts of cannabis with jail terms and would "allow its use for serious medicinal reasons." "We will remove the threat of jail terms for simple possession of small amounts of cannabis, and allow its use for serious medicinal reasons," the section read. Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day talks to reporters on a subway car in Montreal Wednesday October 11, 2000. Day picked up seven candidates for the Montreal region -- one at each stop along the metro line. But a glossy colour policy brochure unveiled last Thursday by Alliance Leader Stockwell Day omits the paragraph pertaining to pot. "We've got some serious flip-flops happening here," said NDP MP Nelson Riis. Riis said the omission puts into context the Alliance campaign platform, called A Time for Change. "They've changed their tax strategy, they've now changed their marijuana strategy going into the campaign and I guess perhaps on a weekly basis we'll be hearing new changes to their election platform." Party spokesman Phil von Finckenstein said Wednesday the reference was removed because the Alliance doesn't want to campaign on the issue. "Mr. Day has personal beliefs but at the end of the day, we're a team and we got together and decided this as a team and this is the platform we're putting forward," von Finckenstein said. "Caucus was considering a number of issues to go into the platform -- one of them was whether or not to withdraw jail sentences for possession of small amounts of marijuana," he said. "The possession of small amounts of marijuana would remain a criminal offence. "After a healthy debate in caucus it was decided that this wasn't a priority of Canadians right now and that we wouldn't be campaigning on that." But Riis argues it's further proof the Alliance is afraid of controversy. He pointed to the Alliance policy document, which said an Alliance government wouldn't be able to deliver on its promise of a 17 per cent flat tax until a second term in office. "We're going to have a mushy Canadian Alliance platform by the time they pull all these controversial elements," said Riis whose party wants to decriminalize marijuana for medicinal purposes only. Alliance justice critic Randy White was travelling in Italy and unavailable for comment.
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