| Conservative Party of Canada |
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 Although the Conservative's didn't put in any official responses to the survey, after two weeks and telephone followups to each candidate's office, CSSDP: Winnipeg decided to put together a list of resources in case you don't already have an idea about what the Conservatives have in mind. Their silence is, of course, unnerving considering the Conservatives have made drug policy an integral part of their party platform. The Harper government spent $64 million on a national anti-drug strategy that included an increased emphasis on law enforcement and proposed mandatory minimum penalties for drug offences (including production of any amount of marijuana).
Part of the national anti-drug strategy, Bill C-26 is an act to introduce mandatory minimum penalties for “serious drug crimes”, such as the trafficking of cocaine, heroin or methamphetamines, or the production of marijuana. Bill C-26 would also increase the maximum penalty for marijuana production from seven years to 14 years. Read the Conservatives’ backgrounder on C-26 at: And here, an Ottawa Citizen article discusses some of the bill’s implications, comparing it to similar legislation in the US: The Conservatives have been accused by other parties of stalling on the required federal drug law exemption for Insite, Vancouver’s safe injection clinic. (The BC Supreme Court eventually granted this exemption in May of 2008). Steven Fletcher, the Conservatives’ Parliamentary Secretary for Health, defends his party’s actions on Insite to Vancouver East MP Libby Davies of the NDP: Steven Fletcher debates Insite in Parliament with members of the opposition Liberals:$10 million of the total $64 million devoted to the anti-drug strategy is being spent on a national prevention campaign to teach parents and their kids about the dangers of drugs. You can see one of the commercials at: The Conservatives have also released a booklet called “Talking to Your Teen About Drugs”. In this booklet you can “Learn About Drugs”, including that cannabis “may be addictive” and that it may cause you to “engage in unsafe sex that can lead to an unwanted pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection.” If you are interested in learning more about the Conservatives Party’s drug policy, contact your local Conservative candidate. A list of candidates and their contact information is available at: |
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