Pubdate: Fri, 30 May 2008
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2008 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n537/a03.html
Author: Richard Kowalski

POLITICIANS CARE MORE ABOUT IDEOLOGY THAN THE LAW

Re: The right to shoot up, May 29.

The Citizen's editorial argues that "Politicians are elected to make 
difficult decisions." It then offers the opinion that "when courts 
usurp that role, they also erase the electorate's right to hold 
politicians accountable."

In fact, our courts are an integral and essential component of our 
very successful free and democratic form of government and have an 
obligation to ensure that enacted laws are consistent with our Constitution.

Yes, we elect politicians to provide leadership and to make 
important, and sometimes controversial, decisions on our behalf.

Nevertheless, we also expect our politicians to obey the law, just 
like the rest of us are expected to.

The Canadian Constitution is a fundamental law which I expect our 
elected officials to obey.

It is a law they seem willing to flout when it does not fit in with 
their ideology.

Even though research has shown that a harm reduction approach to drug 
abuse has many benefits, our minister of health still clings to the 
party line and denies users health care to help deal with their problems.

And when health care professionals try new, research-based and 
innovative solutions, our own government wants them shut down because 
they don't fit with the ideological stance of "you do the crime, you 
do the time."

I think it's time for the Conservative party to wake up to the 
realities of today and to deal with these issues in the spirit of our 
Canadian Constitution and implement policies that promote equality 
for all and, yes, harm reduction for those addicted to drugs.

Richard Kowalski,

Ottawa
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom