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While
new Prime Minister Paul Martin sat at a $700-per-plate
dinner this week, 27 Montreal children – some as
young as 13 – were being arrested for drug possession
and trafficking in a major drug bust. Montreal police
say that the Liberal policy to decriminalize marijuana
have left youth with the impression that they can possess
drugs without any legal consequences.
“This
confirms what the Canadian Alliance has said all along.
The Liberals have misled Canadians about the effects of
their new drug policy, and they are putting young children
at serious risk,” said Toews. “The Liberal government
has sent a green light for irresponsible use of drugs,
with even the former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
joking that when once he leaves office he will try marijuana.
”
If
passed, the Liberal decriminalization bill introduced
in May 2003, C-38, would allow for certain offences to
be prosecuted by means of a summons or a ticket. The Liberal
Government has promoted this move despite warnings from
the US that cross-border trade could be jeopardized, and
despite warnings from front-line law officers that marijuana
use among youth would skyrocket.
“This
bill is a continuation of a long trend of Liberal justice,
as we have seen in the watered-down Youth Criminal Justice
Act,” said Toews. “The fact that this operation
suggests links to organized crime is further evidence
that organized crime will profit from Bill C-38, since
demand will go up while the only sources for marijuana
remain illegal.
“The
Chrétien-Martin government has consistently sent
Canadian youth the wrong message about drug use. Canadians
won’t easily forget this latest black mark on the
Liberal record,” concluded Toews.
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For
more information, please contact:
Vic Toews, Member of Parliament, Provencher Riding
1-866-333-1933 Steinbach
613-992-3128 Ottawa
www.victoews.com
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