Pubdate: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 Source: Abbotsford News (CN BC) Copyright: 2001 Hacker Press Ltd. Contact: http://www.abbynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1155 Author: Russ Akins WHITE SAYS ADDICTS NEED TREATMENT, NOT NEEDLES A drug addict's life in a bleak downtown eastside Vancouver hotel room may not make for pleasant breakfast conversation in Abbotsford - but it's a harsh reality of life for thousands, Randy White said yesterday. White, Canadian Alliance MP for Langley-Abbotsford, spoke on the theme "Let me say it as it is - drugs, prisons, organized crime and our court system,'' before an early morning Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce crowd gathered at the Rancho on Delair Road. The gist of his talk: Give the big time drug dealers at the top of the system stiffer penalties - but treat addicts and prostitutes through rehabilitation. The federal solicitor general critic also fielded a number of questions from the audience, ranging from the controversial Sumas Centre to wrongful convictions of innocent people. "In the last election, a few of my opponents called me a single-issue person with a one track mind - they're right, it's called justice.'' White offered a synopsis of his recent work. This includes helping organizers of the Campbell Valley Womens' Centre, a rehab facility for women with addiction problems. "The NDP thinks they should go to foster homes,but fortunately, the provincial Liberals think otherwise,'' said White, who said the centre may become an issue in the current B.C. elections. He's also met with people concerned over a needle exchange and methadone clinic in downtown Abbotsford: Two measures he believes do not solve the problem of addiction. White also spent some time with local police on the Zero Avenue area of his riding, a hot spot for smuggling. "One of these paths is called the Ho Chi Minh Trail. "It's a place where lots of smuggling occurs daily, not just drugs but people, drugs and alcohol. It's an impossible job for the RCMP to handle,'' said White, who stressed the nation's police must have adequate resources to do their jobs. As for the courts, conditional sentencing - where offenders spend jail time at home - doesn't relate to the serious nature of some crimes it's handed out for, said White. He cited the case of Darren Adam Ursel, who was convicted in the sexual assault of a woman in Aldergrove. Public outcry reversed a judge's decision to give him a conditional sentence, said White. On related justice issues, White called for the Justice Committee in the House of Commons to interview and appoint parole board members. "They should be interviewed and shortlisted by a non-partisan committee. They should be qualified people, not political hacks.'' Drugs are a serious problem in communities across Canada, from Abbotsford to places like Sydney, Nova Scotia: "With 12,000 people, it has a needle exchange,'' said White. "The cost of a cap of heroin, 15 or 20 bucks, is coming from crime. I know the police make good marijuana busts, but it's heroin and cocaine that kills.'' Addicts should be made to enter rehabilitation, White believes. The harm reduction model, safe shooting sites, "perpetuates the problem. "We've got a whole (Canadian Forces) base in Chilliwack the Liberals closed down, where we could be helping those people. It's not a drug war we want, it's rehabilitation. ''We have to stop treating prostitutes as criminals, and realize these are our children who need help.'' White invited the audience to go for a tour of the downtown Vancouver eastside with him. "There are hotel rooms worse than a prison cell. People right now are sitting there looking for help.'' In reply to a question from a woman in the audience, who said her husband has been wrongfully convicted, White acknowledged such cases do occur in Canada, especially in light of increasing family break-ups. "With families splitting up, a lot of accusations are made. It's a ploy that's happening more and more.'' - --- MAP posted-by: Derek