Pubdate: Tue, 29 Jan 2013
Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN)
Copyright: 2013 The StarPhoenix
Contact: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400
Author: Betty Ann Adam
Page: 3

CANDIDATE BACKS POT, HEALTH-CARE REFORM

Liberal leadership candidate Martha Hall Findlay, supports full
legalization of marijuana.

Prohibition has never worked and marijuana should be regulated and
taxed, the Toronto lawyer and businesswoman, who emerged as one of
three front-runners after this month's candidates' debate, told
members of The Star-Phoenix editorial board Monday.

The former Ontario MP also advocates private delivery health care in a
publicly funded system, elimination of supply management for dairy,
poultry and egg producers and repealing the Indian Act.

"When we talk about evidence-based (policy), let's walk the walk and
show Canadians that we have the guts to say, if that's what the
evidence is, that's what we should do," she said.

"I'm in favour of full legalization of marijuana," Hall Findlay
said.

"All of the evidence says it needs to be treated the same as alcohol.
Kids can get marijuana more easily than alcohol.

"Take it out of the gangs, take it out of criminal violence. Regulate
it and tax it," she said.

Hall Findlay also believes the publicly funded healthcare system could
benefit from private delivery.

"We have to take our heads out of the sand and look at what we can do
in order to save a universally accessible, single-tier, publicly
funded system, which is something I really want to save," she said.

People "freak out" at the suggestion of private health care, equating
it with the American, for-profit system, but they forget Canadian
doctors run publicly funded private enterprises, she said.

While Hall Findlay is market-oriented, she doesn't advocate "complete
free market in something that is as important to us as (health care),"
she said.

She puts her faith in government oversight and government involvement
through the Canada Health Act.

Hall Findlay is pleased that Canada now has six female premiers and
believes her being a woman won't be held against her at the polls.

She congratulated the Saskatchewan aboriginal women who started the
Idle No More movement, saying, "We have to get back to a sense of
mutual respect."

Much good will was wasted when the Conservative government tossed the
Liberals' Kelowna Accord in 2005 and that sense of co-operation must
be revived, she said.

The Indian Act needs to be repealed, but it needs to be done properly
with "significant transition elements," she said.

Members of the Idle No More movement have made a strong argument
against the Harper government's omnibus budget bill, which she called
"a complete, utter abuse of our democratic process in
Parliament."

"This government brought out a secret manual on how to disrupt
committees, on how (to) disrupt the democratic process to (their) own
ends," she said. "We need steps to regain the role of
committees...

"I would take active measures to improve question period and I would
take active measures to prevent the abuse of omnibus bills like that.

"Congratulations to the people who started it and pursued Idle No More
because they've highlighted that, arguably better than we did."

Hall Findlay said she isn't as famous as front-running candidate
Justin Trudeau, who arrives in Saskatoon today, and former astronaut
Marc Garneau, who visited the city earlier this month, but she has "a
hell of a resume" that she'll proudly stand against theirs.
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MAP posted-by: Matt