Marijuana Party Pipes Up with Election Platform
Posted by CN Staff on June 01, 2004 at 14:24:52 PT
By The CTV.ca News Staff
Source: CTV
The federal Marijuana Party has officially rolled out its election campaign platform. Campaigning under the slogan "Let's Roll," the party has high hopes of putting candidates in 100 ridings across Canada.
About 40 will be running in Quebec ridings, with another 25 candidates vying for seats across Ontario. And seven candidates will be on the slate in the Winnipeg area.
The party won't be represented, however, in P.E.I., Newfoundland or the Northwest Territories.
According to Marijuana Party leader Marc-Boris St-Maurice, 35, his team is running on a single issue -- the legalization of marijuana.
But, he says, his party's narrow platform actually covers a broad range of legitimate government concerns, from finance and justice to international relations and agriculture.
"We are a single-issue party but that issue covers finances, social climate, justice, international relations and agriculture," he told reporters on Tuesday.
"There's hardly any ministry that would not be affected. In fact, I think we should have a Ministry of Marijuana at some point."
In a platform published online, the party outlines a number of marijuana-related goals that includes:
* demonstrating the social advantages to ending cannabis prohibition;
* creating a defence fund for those accused of cannabis-related crimes;
* developing legislation to legalize the drug;
* ensuring access to medical marijuana; and
* pressuring the international community to follow suit.
Mike Foster, the Marijuana Party candidate in Ottawa Centre says he believes that the party has more support than many would like to admit.
"There are more than three million Canadians who smoke (marijuana). I think it's time we all came out of the weed closet and addressed this issue once and for all."
Interestingly, the party does promote one agenda item that's not entirely marijuana-centric. It wants an overhaul of the Canada Elections Act, "to offer solutions to the parliamentary representation deficit."
"We feel we are under the obligation to be critical of any abuses or inequities within our democratic system," the party writes on its website.
"This reform would serve to better interpret election results and distribute power fairly."
When Canadians last went to the polls in 2000, they gave the Marijuana Party 0.5 per cent of the national vote -- more than 66,000 votes.
This year, St-Maurice is planning to run against Paul Martin in the prime minister's Montreal-area riding of LaSalle-Emard.
To help pay for the campaign, party fundraisers are reportedly selling marijuana seeds at a going rate of 10 seeds for $12.
