When it comes to two of the big policy battles that loom as the fall sitting of Parliament gets underway this week, prudence dictates that a journalist keeps his or her powder dry. In the debate over the government's proposed tax changes for people with private corporations, as in the case of the Liberal plan to legalize marijuana, what we have so far seen are just the opening manoeuvres in a tug-of-war, the outcome of which in the court of public opinion is far from decided. [continues 667 words]
Two key hot-button issues to keep an eye on as Parliament returns this week When it comes to two of the big policy battles that loom as the fall sitting of Parliament gets underway next week, prudence dictates that a journalist keeps his or her powder dry. In the debate over the government's proposed tax changes for people with private corporations, as in the case of the Liberal plan to legalize marijuana, what we have so far seen are just the opening manoeuvres in a tug-of-war, the outcome of which in the court of public opinion is far from decided. [continues 664 words]
When it comes to two of the big policy battles that loom as the fall sitting of Parliament gets underway next week, prudence dictates that a journalist keeps his or her powder dry. In the debate over the government's proposed tax changes for people with private corporations, as in the case of the Liberal plan to legalize marijuana, what we have so far seen are just the opening manoeuvres in a tug-of-war, the outcome of which in the court of public opinion is far from decided. [continues 665 words]
Ontario stands to set the tone for much of the rest of the country in rules, regulations Canada is edging closer to the July 2018 target date for the legalization of marijuana in a haze of political smoke. With every new development, the gap between the political narrative attending the initiative and its actual implementation is harder to bridge. Take the federal government's talking points. They have greatly evolved since Justin Trudeau was campaigning on university campuses in the last election campaign. Logic has not always benefited from that evolution. [continues 602 words]
Canada is edging closer to the July 2018 target date for the legalization of marijuana in a haze of political smoke. With every new development, the gap between the political narrative attending the initiative and its actual implementation is harder to bridge. Take the federal government's talking points. They have greatly evolved since Justin Trudeau was campaigning on university campuses in the last election campaign. Logic has not always benefited from that evolution. To hear the prime minister these days, the point of the policy is to make it harder for minors to buy marijuana. Clearly, Canada is making its peace with marijuana the better to fight it. [continues 621 words]
Canada is edging closer to the July 2018 target date for the legalization of marijuana in a haze of political smoke. With every new development, the gap between the political narrative attending the initiative and its actual implementation is harder to bridge. Take the federal government's talking points. They have greatly evolved since Justin Trudeau was campaigning on university campuses in the last election campaign. Logic has not always benefited from that evolution. To hear the prime minister these days, the point of the policy is to make it harder for minors to buy marijuana. Clearly, Canada is making its peace with marijuana the better to fight it. [continues 620 words]
Legislation aims to restrict access, but key questions left unanswered Justin Trudeau wants Canadians to see his plan to legalize marijuana as a massive government intervention to save the country's youth from the perils of cannabis. "We want to make it more difficult for kids to access marijuana. That is why we are going to legalize and control marijuana," the prime minister proclaimed in the Commons on the day before his government tabled two bills to implement his election promise. [continues 689 words]
Legislation to be tabled today in the House of Commons will pave the way to the legal selling of marijuana across the country by the summer of next year If he wants to avoid spending the 2019 campaign walking on the shards of yet another broken signature promise, Justin Trudeau has little choice but to make good on his promise to legalize marijuana in time for the next election. Of the many commitments the prime minister made on the way to his majority victory some were more emblematic than others. The Liberal embrace of deficit spending, the vow to change the voting system in time for 2019 and the legalization of marijuana fall into that category. [continues 666 words]
If he wants to avoid spending the 2019 campaign walking on the shards of yet another broken signature promise, Justin Trudeau has little choice but to make good on his promise to legalize marijuana in time for the next election. Of the many commitments the prime minister made on the way to his majority victory some were more emblematic than others. The Liberal embrace of deficit spending, the vow to change the voting system in time for 2019 and the legalization of marijuana fall into that category. [continues 669 words]
When it comes to assessing the performance of Justice Minister Peter MacKay, one of the main Conservative actors of the just concluded parliamentary season, the first question is where to start? Should item one on the list be the minister's Internet surveillance bill, a proposed law whose intrusiveness may not pass muster with the courts? Bill C-13 would give telecommunications and Internet providers legal immunity for voluntarily handing over their customers' private data to law enforcement agencies. Privacy experts - including the just-appointed federal information commissioner Daniel Therrien - have called on the government to take the more contentious sections of the legislation back to the drawing board. Conservative ministers have a history of ignoring contrary expert advice, especially if it runs against the grain of the party's base. [continues 574 words]
The Insite ruling is the most brutal collision to date between the Supreme Court of Canada and Stephen Harper's Conservative government. Despite the imminent appointment of two more Harper nominees to the top court's bench, it will likely not be the last. On Friday, the Court ordered the federal government to grant a special exemption to allow Vancouver's supervised drug injection clinic to operate without fear of prosecution for possessing and trafficking in hard drugs. The ruling is the latest volley in an ongoing battle of wills between the top court and the ruling Conservatives. [continues 522 words]
The Insite ruling is the most brutal collision to date between the Supreme Court of Canada and Stephen Harper's Conservative government. Despite the imminent appointment of two more Harper nominees to the top court's bench, it will likely not be the last. On Friday, the Court ordered the federal government to grant a special exemption to allow Vancouver's supervised drug injection clinic to operate without fear of prosecution for possessing and trafficking in hard drugs. The ruling is the latest volley in an ongoing battle of wills between the top court and the ruling Conservatives. [continues 578 words]
For anyone looking for symptoms of the political bi-polar which has seized the national capitol in the dying days of the Cretien era, a good place to start is the confused federal Drug strategy unveiled this week in Parliament. Rarely have so many conflicting messages found there way into a single government initiative. The result is not pretty. The strategy purports to achieve zero-tolerance for marijuana with one hand while setting in motion the long overdue decriminalization of the substance with the other. [continues 731 words]
OTTAWA - For anyone looking for symptoms of the political bipolar disorder which has seized the national capital in the dying days of the Chretien era, a good place to start is the confused federal Drug Strategy unveiled yesterday in Parliament. Rarely have so many conflicting messages managed to find their way into a single government initiative. The result is not pretty. The strategy purports to achieve zero-tolerance for marijuana with one hand while setting in motion the long overdue decriminalization of the same substance with the other. [continues 759 words]
OTTAWA - ONE would never argue that Prime Minister Jean Chretien is an activist. As he told his cabinet early in his tenure, in his book, the best ministers are those who manage to keep legislation to a minimum. If anything, over the years, Chretien's penchant for inertia has increased. As a result, the notion of Parliament engaging the country in a national discussion on any hot topic at his government's initiative has become almost moot. Now, the House of Commons is about to be once again confirmed in its growing irrelevancy as the government gets set to bypass Parliament on the road to making the country's marijuana law constitutional. [continues 669 words]
OTTAWA -- ON WEDNESDAY, Montreal crime reporter Michel Auger was shot five times in broad daylight in the parking lot of his employer, the Journal de Montreal. Those shots are now about to reverberate on Parliament Hill. Auger (who is not to be confused with the political columnist with the same name) is Quebec's top crime reporter, a fearless veteran correspondent of the bikers' wars who has spent his life on the receiving end of a constant stream of death threats. [continues 745 words]
