Pubdate: Fri, 16 Oct 2015
Source: Nelson Star (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Black Press
Contact:  http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/nelsonstar/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4866
Page: 25

ELECTION 2015: Q&A WITH THE CANDIDATES

Every Friday, until the October 19 federal election, the Nelson Star
will bring you responses to a series of questions posed to the four
candidates in the Kootenay-Columbia riding as compiled by Black Press
editors throughout the riding. Today's questions are:

1. What's your position on the legalization/ decriminalization of
marijuana?

2. If you were being to forced to vote along party lines for/against a
bill you strongly opposed/supported because of what you believed to be
best for your constituents, what would you do?

- -----------------------------------------

DON JOHNSTON

Liberal Party

1. The Liberal Party will legalize marijuana if elected. The current
system has proven to be a complete disaster and a recent World Health
Organization survey of developed countries found that Canada has the
highest number of teenage users.

Clearly prohibition is failing to protect children and it also
continues to support the gang culture that controls marijuana. In
jurisdictions that have legalized marijuana we have seen drops in
petty crimes, no increase in the numbers of people using marijuana and
huge income from taxes.

We need to legalize, research and educate so individuals are making
well informed decisions. We will use the best practices of places who
have already taken this step and move slowly to ensure an effective
implementation of the distribution and control regime.

2. The biggest challenge currently for MPs comes from the use of
omnibus bills forcing MPs to support them because they are part of the
budget. We will discontinue this practice and the only votes the
Liberal party would ask MPs to support will be budget bills, platform
issues where we have promised we would undertake certain actions if
elected, and any motions that directly conflict with the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms.

Outside of these specific issues we will have freedom to vote in a
manner that supports the aspirations of our constituents. If, somehow,
an issue came up outside these particular expectations that the party
decided to for whatever reason to try to whip the vote and I believed
it to be in contravention of my personal convictions and what was best
for my constituents I would not hesitate to vote against the party.

- -----------------------------------------

DAVID WILKS

Conservative Party

1. I am not in support of legalization of marijuana but do fully
support the motion put forth by the Canadian Chiefs of Police that
calls for a ticketable offence for those found in possession of small
amounts of marijuana (one to 30 g). The Liberal Party plan is reckless
and is a knee-jerk reaction to a serious problem in which they believe
that if you tax marijuana all the problems will go away.

2. There are a number of different bills in parliament. Budget bills
are votes of confidence and in those cases I would always vote with
the party. The Conservative Party has the best record for allowing
their members of parliament to vote freely on bills of non-confidence
and I have exercised that right on a number of occasions. The NDP has
the worst record of allowing their members to vote freely.

- -----------------------------------------

BILL GREEN

Green Party

1. I fully support the Green Party policy with respect to
marijuana/cannabis for both medicinal and recreational use which is:
legalize, research, educate.

Legalize so that the link between the production and sale of cannabis
and drug gangs is severed. Research to carefully determine the full
range of health/medicinal benefits and health risks.

Where scientific studies demonstrate health benefits and appropriate
modes of use and dosages, medical marijuana should be brought fully
within our regulated drug and medical system so that people needing
cannabis treatment can obtain prescriptions from their family doctors
and purchase treatments at their local drug store.

The Green Party national Pharmacare plan will then kick in so that
cost is not a barrier to anyone needing therapeutic marijuana.

Physicians then need to be educated on the medicinal values of
marijuana and all Canadians should be informed of the results of
ongoing research about the health benefits and risks of various modes
of cannabis use.

Decriminalization for possession is simply not good enough, as sale
(trafficking) would remain a criminal offence and continue to
associate access to marijuana with criminal gangs.

2. For a Green Party MP, this is not an issue. I would not be forced
to vote along party lines. However, I would take the matter very
seriously. The first question I would consider is what commitments I'd
made to constituents, either during the election period or after. My
vote would be based on any commitments I had made.

If I hadn't made a commitment, I would then want to make sure that I
had a good understanding of the interests of my constituents, through
Internet polling, community meetings and conversations with local
governments and organizations. Green MP Bruce Hyer was forced to leave
the NDP after he voted against the long gun registry.

- -----------------------------------------

WAYNE STETSKI

New Democratic Party

1. An NDP government will decriminalize recreational use of marijuana.
Our citizens should not be imprisoned for simple possession.

The NDP has held this position for about 40 years, and it is something
the NDP has committed to taking action on immediately.

Medical marijuana, as already determined by the Supreme Court of
Canada, should be available in a variety of forms. Smoking is a health
hazard regardless of what you are smoking.

2. I believe strongly that a member of parliament's role is first and
foremost to represent the best interests of his or her constituents.
And I understand that no matter what, my job will be to provide
service and representation to all residents, regardless of what party
they may support, or whom they voted for during the election.

Mr. Wilks declared in 2012 in Revelstoke that one MP cannot make a
difference. He made this statement to a group of constituents who
raised serious concerns about an omnibus bill that they felt would
seriously damage our country. And Mr. Wilks agreed with them, until
the party reminded him that his responsibility was not to have honest
conversations with constituents, but simply to vote the party line.

I do not accept this. I believe that our democracy is too important,
and our country is too valuable, to choose a candidate who readily
admits that he does not have free will, that he will not vote in the
best interest of his constituents.

A classic example of Mr. Wilks voting against the safety and security
of his constituents was his support for Bill C-51, the Secret Police
Bill. Mr. Wilks knows that the majority of his constituents adamantly
opposed Bill C- 51, but he voted for it anyway. That, in my mind, is
absolutely unacceptable.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt