Pubdate: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 Source: Daily Gleaner (CN NK) Copyright: 2011 Brunswick News Inc. Contact: http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3857 Author: Mike De Souza Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing) PARTIES TRADE POT SHOTS OVER TOUGHER LAWS FOR DEALERS OTTAWA - Conservatives, Liberals and New Democrats took turns accusing each other of being soft on crime as the Harper government urged opposition parties to support its latest attempt to toughen sentences for drug-related activity. One day after the Liberals announced they would no longer support the legislation, Bill S-10 which was adopted in the Senate, Nicholson staged a news conference with other Tory MPs and the president of the Canadian Police Association, accusing the opposition of blocking measures that would target drug traffickers and organized crime. "The bill that we have presented to Parliament is very specific," Nicholson said. "It sends out the correct message that if you're getting into the grow-op business for the purposes of trafficking - again, that distinction is sometimes lost on some my opponents to this bill - if you're into the business of trafficking, if you're bringing drugs into this country, it's very specific as well. "If you sell drugs around a school, you're not going to like this bill." Charles Momy, president of the association that represents 43,000 police members across the country, said the legislation would prevent instances when criminals re-offend quickly after getting out of a short jail sentence. But Liberal public safety critic Mark Holland suggested the bill, if passed into law, could cost billions in new investments for expanded prison space, without actually discouraging organized crime or rehabilitating criminals. Instead, he said it could cause an increase in criminal activity for offences such as someone with a few marijuana plants or Tylenol 3. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom