Vaughan MP Fantino's pot flyer riles top Liberal

YorkRegion.com
July 30, 2014
By Tim Kelly and Adam Martin-Robbins

Subtle it’s not.

The flyer that landed in Vaughan mailboxes Wednesday claims Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has gone to pot - and said he wants young people to go there, too.

“The Liberal Agenda: Sell Pot! In local stores”, shows a young teen lighting up a joint with Trudeau’s smiling mug and a marijuana leaf in the background.

The flyer says Trudeau smoked pot as a member of Parliament (he admits to that), but also states he visits schools to tell kids pot should be legal.

The flyer also tells residents that next on the Trudeau agenda will be plans to “make pot legal for companies to grow and sell like tobacco and to display and sell pot in local stores”.

That’s an issue for Liberal Deputy leader Ralph Goodale, who blasted the Conservatives over the flyer, which is similar to ones that have reportedly been distributed in other ridings across the country.

“It reflects a high degree of desperation in Conservative ranks and it reflects very low ethical standards,” Goodale told The Citizen Wednesday afternoon. “Their whole approach to politics is character assassination. They don’t want to have an adult conversation about how you fix a serious social issue. They simply want to deal with smears and lies and innuendoes. And, I think, Canadians are fed up with that. ...It’s tawdry, it’s demeaning and it says this is a government that has just run out of gas.”

Fantino, a former top cop who is well-known for his tough-on-crime stance, is not backing down from the claims made in the flyer.

“Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau will fully legalize recreational marijuana, which would make it easier for young people especially to buy and smoke in their neighbourhoods, much like cigarettes today,” Fantino wrote in an email statement to The Citizen Wednesday afternoon.

“It is ironic that the Liberal Party’s singular policy priority is to fully legalize recreational marijuana, thereby making smoking marijuana a normal everyday activity for Canadians,” added the Veterans Affairs minister.

Fantino said it was Conservative government policy to “continue to protect children and teens from the harmful effects of drugs on their health and development.

“As a grandparent, former police leader and as a member of Parliament, I strongly stand with Vaughan families who, like me, want their government to protect our children, and not make drugs more accessible; this is a well-considered and informed position I have a duty to share with my constituents.”

Goodale said Trudeau is trying, through legalization, to make sure marijuana is properly regulated and taxed so “it is less likely the material will fall into the hands of young people.

“He has been very clear about this whenever he has spoken publicly, in whatever forum, everywhere in the country. He said exactly the same thing: that the current policy has clearly failed because we, in Canada, have, unfortunately, one of the highest marijuana usage rates among young people in the world,” Goodale said.

“So whatever the legal structure is right now, it’s clearly not working. It’s a failed policy. It’s a different approach, a new approach, but it’s one that has a better chance of success than the failed policy that the Conservatives are embracing.”

A recent poll of 3,000 people conducted by the Canadian Department of Justice revealed 70 per cent of Canadians believe pot laws should be relaxed.

The breakdown showed 37.3 per cent said the government should legalize marijuana, while 33.4 per cent said the possession of small amounts should be decriminalized.

Just 13.7 per cent of those who responded supported the status quo and 12 per cent said they wanted harsher penalties.

In terms of enforcement, police chiefs have been calling for ticketing for illegal possession of marijuana.

“Under the current legislation, the only enforcement option for police, when confronted with simple possession of cannabis, is either to turn a blind eye or lay charges,” said association of police chiefs president Jim Chu last year. “The latter ensues a lengthy and difficult process which, if proven guilty, results in a criminal conviction and criminal record.”