Pubdate: Wed, 18 Dec 2013
Source: Toronto 24hours (CN ON)
Copyright: 2013 Canoe Inc.
Contact:  http://24hrs.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4068
Author: Daniel Proussalidis

TORIES TO TAKE CLOSE LOOK AT POT LAWS, INCLUDING POSSIBLE FINES FOR POSSESSION

As the year ends, Justice Minister Peter MacKay is strongly hinting 
that steps to modernize Canada's marijuana laws might be just around 
the corner.

Fining pot smokers for possession of small amounts is one policy the 
government will likely consider.

"That doesn't mean decriminalizing or legalizing, but it does mean 
giving police options, for example, to issue fines in addition to any 
other sanctions, or as a substitute for other sanctions," MacKay told 
QMI Agency.

"These are things that we are willing to look at in the new year, but 
there's been no decision taken."

This is the first time the Conservatives have mentioned the idea 
since Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the feds were looking "very 
carefully" at it in August.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police says fining pot smokers 
may be just the ticket to give officers an option other than ignoring 
law-breakers or criminally charging them, setting up a long, 
expensive legal process.

The Tories may also be feeling the heat as Liberal Leader Justin 
Trudeau remains high in the polls, even after admitting to illegally 
smoking pot while serving as an MP and supporting full legalization 
of the drug.

MacKay couldn't resist taking a shot at Trudeau, saying the Grit pot 
policy is "a weak substitute for a lack of fiscal, economic or foreign policy."

Trudeau has also questioned the wisdom of imposing mandatory minimum 
prison terms for various crimes, a policy the Conservatives have 
embraced enthusiastically since forming a government in 2006.

MacKay says the government won't back down now.

"It sends a very strong message of deterrence, condemnation and 
public abhorrence of certain types of offences," he said. "And we're 
talking about predominantly serious, violent offences - offences that 
involve sexual assaults on children; that involve distribution of 
drugs to children; that very much offend Canadian values."

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) predicted the prison 
population would explode to almost 19,000 federal inmates this year 
because of the Tories' new mandatory minimums on repeat offenders.

That prediction never materialized.

The latest CSC head count actually found around 15,000 federal 
inmates. MacKay says he doesn't know why the original projections 
were so wrong, unless they only amounted to "political rhetoric or 
alarmist thinking."

The justice minister might also have to deal with Canada's 
prostitution laws in 2014.

On Friday, the Supreme Court will rule on three former hookers' 
constitutional challenge of Canada's prostitution laws.

While the feds wait for that, Conservative MP Joy Smith is pushing 
for an approach to prostitution similar to Sweden's -- the so-called 
Nordic model of putting johns in prison, while offering prostitutes 
an escape route.

MacKay says he's not sure that's the right approach.

"I'm not entirely convinced that the direction that has been 
attempted in other countries, and this Nordic model being one, is the 
right fit for Canada," he said. "We do believe that the current 
Criminal Code provisions are constitutionally sound, or we would not 
be making the arguments that we're making before the Supreme Court."

The feds have vigorously defended Canada's bans on brothels, living 
off the avails of prostitution and communicating for the purpose of 
prostitution.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom