Pubdate: Fri, 22 Aug 2003
Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON)
Copyright: 2003 Guelph Mercury Newspapers Limited
Contact:  http://www.guelphmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

DISCUSSIONS ON CANADA'S POT BILL

Guelph-Wellington Liberal MP Brenda Chamberlain has never concealed her 
disagreement with her government's plan to decriminalize marijuana.

Futile or not, popular or not, politically astute or not, her misgivings 
are on record and she is entitled to let her opposition to the legislation 
be known far and wide, even if she has to shout it from the rooftops. 
Indeed, she could be accused of shirking her parliamentary responsibilities 
if she did not go public with her objections.

But what were she and other members of a group of dissident Liberal MPs 
thinking when they met with the U.S. deputy drug czar in July? Was it to 
offer the hand of hospitality to a visiting Washington poo-bah? Or were 
they seeking his help in their determination to get their own government's 
cannabus reform bill quashed?

The MPs have denied all suggestions that they acted improperly, 
underhandedly or that they were seeking the help of Dr. Barry Crane and 
other U.S. officials to undermine their government's credibility. 
Chamberlain told The Guelph Mercury after the July 8 meeting that she was 
there to collect "ammunition" and this week she made it clear that she had 
achieved that goal. She and her fellow MPs were advised by Crane that there 
would be delays at the international border if the Canadian bill became law.

Fine. But this is not new. Similar words of advice and warning were 
available long before the July meeting. Indeed, the vehement opposition of 
the White House office on U.S. drug policy to the proposed Canadian 
legislation has been abundantly clear at least since May. The Bush 
administration's threat to slow down the movement of goods at the border 
was first voiced by John Walters, Bush's drug czar (and Crane's boss) when 
Canadian government intentions were first made known. The warning has been 
helpfully repeated by U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci since then.

Washington's message was clear. There would be no compromise and no change. 
Whatever Ottawa's legislation was, if it loosened the marijuana laws in any 
way, it was wrong and Canadians and their commerce would suffer the 
consequences at the border.

Of course, it helps to hear such irrational fulminations with one's own 
ears before believing them. But anyone committed to the quaint idea that 
the Canadian government should carry out its own investigations, debates 
and hearings and make its legislation on that basis could be forgiven for 
thinking that Chamberlain and her backbench colleagues had something other 
than information gathering in mind. Certainly Prime Minister Jean 
Chretien's take has been to suggest that the meeting with Crane amounted to 
an invitation by the MPs for the U.S. to intrude further into Canadian affairs.

Chamberlain, it is comforting to know, says the MPs were not attempting to 
get the U.S. official to lean on the prime minister. But at the Liberal 
Party's Ontario caucus meeting -- a subsection of the national caucus 
meeting in North Bay -- a heated discussion on the matter Wednesday clearly 
indicated that at least some of Chamberlain's fellow Liberals remain 
unconvinced.

The larger unanswered question is: what messages and impressions did Crane 
deliver to his White House bosses?
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom