Pubdate: Fri, 14 Aug 2015
Source: Saanich News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Saanich News
Contact:  http://www.saanichnews.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1209

CONSERVATIVES SHOW OUTDATED PRIORITIES

With Canada's economy mired in recession, with too many Canadians 
without a job and struggling to make ends meet, with the country's 
sick and elderly being forced to wait too long to receive adequate 
medical coverage, many Canadians are looking to Ottawa in hopes that 
their concerns are being heard.

Unfortunately, with an Oct. 19 federal election looming on the 
horizon, the federal government has no time to focus on the problems 
facing Canadians. Instead, the Harper Conservatives would much rather 
roll out solutions to problems that don't exist.

After spending much of the weekend talking about plans for a travel 
ban that would prevent Canadians from visiting countries associated 
with terrorism, Stephen Harper found yet another subject that won't 
remind Canadians of the economic mess the country's in.

A release from the Conservative Party of Canada Tuesday announced a 
Harper government would commit even more resources to Canada's failed 
war on drugs. With governments around the world acknowledging the 
untold billions spent on the war on drugs were wasted, with marijuana 
becoming legal (and a source of government revenue) in U.S. states, 
with political, medical and law enforcement officials across the 
country admitting it's time to change Canada's drug policies, rigid 
ideology prevents the Tories from changing course.

In making the announcement, Harper said "cracking down on illegal 
drug use and prescription drug abuse is a priority for our 
government." That's right: not jobs, not health care, not the 
environment - illegal drug use is the government's priority.

The irony in all this is that the relentless attack ads aimed at 
Justin Trudeau by the Conservative Party ask: "legalizing marijuana - 
is that the biggest problem we have to solve?"

While the Liberals, NDP and Green Party focus on issues important to 
Canada's future, Harper's Conservatives just can't let go of issues 
that most Canadians see as a distraction from the real problems 
facing the country.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom