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The420Guy
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Could the Marijuana Party form B.C.'s next official opposition after
the provincial election this spring?
Thats a scenario galvanizing former Grand Forks Mayor Brian Taylor to
run for the leadership of a provincial Marijuana Party now being
formed in the afterglow of the party's success in the November federal
election.
The party founded on a platform of legalizing marijuana possession
picked up 65,000 votes.
Norm Siefken, who won a fourth-place finish in the Fraser Valley with
841 votes, says he will also run for nomination in one of the two new
provincial ridings.
With the governing New Democrats looking at the possibility of a
complete rout and losing every seat in the next election, just a few
riding wins by the Marijuana Party could make it the official
opposition, says Mr. Taylor. The novice B.C. Liberal MLAs under
then-leader Gordon Wilson did the same when the Socreds were driven
from office by the New Democrats.
"We're not out there telling people we can run the province," says Mr.
Taylor, but the party's surprise showing in the federal election
"shows what we're doing out there makes a lot of sense to people." He
believes the party will have no trouble fielding candidates in all 79
electoral ridings in B.C.
"We actually have competition for the right to represent (the party),"
Mr. Taylor says, in some Vancouver and Okanagan ridings.
If the party wins enough seats , he says it could "cut a deal" with
the B.C. liberals, who are widely expected to form the next
government, for changes to marijuana laws.
"I wonder what he's been smoking," says Chilliwack MLA Barry Penner,
when told about Mr. Taylor's official opposition scenario. Despite the
NDP's current low showing in the polls, he notes the party enjoys a
traditional "hard core" of popular support in the province that wins
elections whenever the right wing vote is split. "I still expect the
NDP will be our major opponents in the upcoming election," he says.
"And the province has no jurisdiction over marijuana laws that come
under the powers of the federal government." he adds.
Even if the province took action to legalize marijuana, "the courts
wouldn't take very long to strike it down because it's outside the
jurisdiction of the provincial legislature," says Mr. Penner, a
lawyer. He likens the party's marijuana platform to the abortion issue
that's dividing the conservative unity movement in the province. Some
conservatives wanted an anti-abortion stand included in the new
party's constitution, even though it too is a federal issue.
Mr. Siefken says the party's position is that the province has a
contract with the federal government for police services "and could
dictate which marijuana laws would be enforced."
He also says the province could force it's own police force like
Ontario. But in any event it is "not fair" for any government in B.C.
to blame the federal government when polls show 75 percent of British
Columbians support legalization of marijuana, he says: "Cetainly the
NDP has not listened to the people on this issue," Mr. Siefken adds.
John Les, the B.C. Liberal candidate in Chilliwack-Sumas, says he's
hoping Mr. Siefken will choose to run in his riding and "elevate the
political debate to a new high." But he also notes that drug laws are
a federal issue so the party will be little more than a "comic
sideshow" in the upcoming election. Even if B.C. formed it's own
police force, he says, "they would be sworn to uphold all federal
legislation, period."
"There can't be a constitutional over-ride invoked by B.C. not to
enforce drug legislation," he says. Mr. Les also doesn't believe the
party can out-do the mainstream political parties and form the
province's official opposition: "I think it's more of a comic sideshow
than anything else," he says.
The Marijuana Party is holding its first provincial election in
Gibsons on Jan. 12-16.
_________________________
Newshawk: Mountainman
Pubdate: Fri, 05 Jan 2001
Source: Chilliwack Progress (CN BC)
Copyright: 2001 The Chilliwack Progress
Page: Front Page
Contact: editor@theprogress.com
Address: 45860 Spadina Ave., Chilliwack, BC, Canada V2P 6H9
Fax: (604) 792-4436
Feedback: Chilliwack Progress Contact Us | Chilliwack News
Website: Home - Chilliwack Progress
Author: Robert Freeman, Staff Writer
the provincial election this spring?
Thats a scenario galvanizing former Grand Forks Mayor Brian Taylor to
run for the leadership of a provincial Marijuana Party now being
formed in the afterglow of the party's success in the November federal
election.
The party founded on a platform of legalizing marijuana possession
picked up 65,000 votes.
Norm Siefken, who won a fourth-place finish in the Fraser Valley with
841 votes, says he will also run for nomination in one of the two new
provincial ridings.
With the governing New Democrats looking at the possibility of a
complete rout and losing every seat in the next election, just a few
riding wins by the Marijuana Party could make it the official
opposition, says Mr. Taylor. The novice B.C. Liberal MLAs under
then-leader Gordon Wilson did the same when the Socreds were driven
from office by the New Democrats.
"We're not out there telling people we can run the province," says Mr.
Taylor, but the party's surprise showing in the federal election
"shows what we're doing out there makes a lot of sense to people." He
believes the party will have no trouble fielding candidates in all 79
electoral ridings in B.C.
"We actually have competition for the right to represent (the party),"
Mr. Taylor says, in some Vancouver and Okanagan ridings.
If the party wins enough seats , he says it could "cut a deal" with
the B.C. liberals, who are widely expected to form the next
government, for changes to marijuana laws.
"I wonder what he's been smoking," says Chilliwack MLA Barry Penner,
when told about Mr. Taylor's official opposition scenario. Despite the
NDP's current low showing in the polls, he notes the party enjoys a
traditional "hard core" of popular support in the province that wins
elections whenever the right wing vote is split. "I still expect the
NDP will be our major opponents in the upcoming election," he says.
"And the province has no jurisdiction over marijuana laws that come
under the powers of the federal government." he adds.
Even if the province took action to legalize marijuana, "the courts
wouldn't take very long to strike it down because it's outside the
jurisdiction of the provincial legislature," says Mr. Penner, a
lawyer. He likens the party's marijuana platform to the abortion issue
that's dividing the conservative unity movement in the province. Some
conservatives wanted an anti-abortion stand included in the new
party's constitution, even though it too is a federal issue.
Mr. Siefken says the party's position is that the province has a
contract with the federal government for police services "and could
dictate which marijuana laws would be enforced."
He also says the province could force it's own police force like
Ontario. But in any event it is "not fair" for any government in B.C.
to blame the federal government when polls show 75 percent of British
Columbians support legalization of marijuana, he says: "Cetainly the
NDP has not listened to the people on this issue," Mr. Siefken adds.
John Les, the B.C. Liberal candidate in Chilliwack-Sumas, says he's
hoping Mr. Siefken will choose to run in his riding and "elevate the
political debate to a new high." But he also notes that drug laws are
a federal issue so the party will be little more than a "comic
sideshow" in the upcoming election. Even if B.C. formed it's own
police force, he says, "they would be sworn to uphold all federal
legislation, period."
"There can't be a constitutional over-ride invoked by B.C. not to
enforce drug legislation," he says. Mr. Les also doesn't believe the
party can out-do the mainstream political parties and form the
province's official opposition: "I think it's more of a comic sideshow
than anything else," he says.
The Marijuana Party is holding its first provincial election in
Gibsons on Jan. 12-16.
_________________________
Newshawk: Mountainman
Pubdate: Fri, 05 Jan 2001
Source: Chilliwack Progress (CN BC)
Copyright: 2001 The Chilliwack Progress
Page: Front Page
Contact: editor@theprogress.com
Address: 45860 Spadina Ave., Chilliwack, BC, Canada V2P 6H9
Fax: (604) 792-4436
Feedback: Chilliwack Progress Contact Us | Chilliwack News
Website: Home - Chilliwack Progress
Author: Robert Freeman, Staff Writer