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Bellatrix

July 10th 2004

The Politics of Marijuana in Canada – The Re-Election of “Landslide Annie”

Written By "Bellatrix" (please follow the links in the footnotes if you wish to see the sources for my information.)


On June 28th, 2004, a federal election took place in Canada. Despite the fact that this particular election roused little excitement on an international level, it was watched by pro-marijuana advocates with rapt attention. The politician currently serving as Deputy Prime Minister, Anne McLellan, was re-elected without fanfare or controversy. However, those that have followed the medicinal marijuana movement in Canada will find this name familiar. It has come to symbolize the injustice and frustration that Canadian marijuana patients suffer every day in a corrupt and insensitive system.

For anti-prohibitionists both at home and abroad, the election was a significant one. First, because one of the major parties vying for federal power, the New Democratic Party, included the full legalization of marijuana as part of its election platform. Secondly, Canada is only one of two countries worldwide (along with Holland) that have made medicinal marijuana available to its citizens as part of a universal health care plan. The maintenance and success of these policies hinged on the outcome of this election.

A number of Canadian political parties, including the ruling Liberals, had toed the line of American-style prohibition for years. Despite the rising outcry against the cruel and unusual punishments associated with cannabis use, the ruling Liberal government either stonewalled or ignored the public’s view on the matter. The result was a number of court challenges to these laws, based on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canada Health Act. It was the case of Parker (1997), a man who used marijuana to treat his epilepsy, which brought the issue of medicinal marijuana into the Canadian media spotlight. The judge accepted the testimony of other expert witnesses, and Parker himself, that smoking marijuana was the only effective remedy for his severe, frequent seizures. The judge’s ruling in December of 1997 stated, “To deprive the defendant of a legal source of marijuana contravened his primary Charter right to health and protection of life.”1 The Department of Justice immediately appealed the case, and it is worth noting that the Minister in charge of that Department at the time was no other than Anne McLellan.

On July 31, 2000, the Ontario Court of Appeal unanimously confirmed the earlier trial court decision in favour of legal access to medical marijuana. Again, the Crown (the Department of Justice) appealed. The unanimous Court of Appeal confirmed the trial judge's decision to stay the charges against Parker.

Anne McLellan seemed determined to continue fighting not only the courts and the appeals of the sick and dying, but also the will of the majority of Canadian citizens. In May of 2000, a poll in the National Post Newspaper found that over 90% of the Canadian electorate approved of allowing the use of medicinal marijuana without fear of reprimand, reprisal or imprisonment from the Canadian government or law enforcement.2

On Wednesday, June 9, 1999, Alan Rock (the Minister of Health at the time) made an announcement to the House of Commons. In his statement, Mr. Rock said, “I am happy to tell the House this afternoon that a little later today I will table the government's research plan for the medical use of marijuana….Let us remember what this is about. This is about showing compassion to people, often dying, suffering from grave and debilitating illness. I want to thank the member and all the members here for pushing this issue so that we behave properly on behalf of those who are sick and dying.”3 It was under these circumstances that the famous “Rock Garden” (named for said minister) in Flin Flon, Manitoba, was born, and medicinal marijuana became an official part of the Canada Health Act.

In 2002, Anne McLellan replaced Alan Rock as Minster of Health. The choice was clearly an odd one. McLellan had a BA in Arts and Law and a Master of Law. Nothing in her educational background or work experience indicated that she was qualified to hold such a position. Her greatest achievements as the Minister of Justice revolved around improving national security after the attacks of September 11th, including a number of new security measures and anti-terrorism laws,4 many of which have been under heavy scrutiny by the public and the media for their violations of basic civil rights. It was under these new rules, for example, that Maher Arar was deported to Syria, imprisoned, and tortured without charge. An inquiry is still ongoing as to this particular case.

It is a matter of simple logic to conclude that her previous job and the timing of her placement as Minister of Health is telling as to the Canadian government's real intentions concerning the med-pot program. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canada Health Act compelled the government, by law, to implement this program. Instead, the Liberal government has displayed a remarkable amount of contempt and arrogance by fighting it every step of the way, and Ann McLellan has been one of their most effective weapons.

Seeking out examples of Anne’s duplicity and incompetence are shockingly easy. The following excerpts are from a letter written by Anne as a general press release to a variety of media outlets in August 28, 2002;5

On paper, this “Stakeholder Advisory Committee” sounds impressive and productive. However, a story from the Toronto Star from July 17th, 2003 revealed the government’s true intentions. One of the members of the Committee, a Toronto doctor living with HIV, Dr. Gregory Robinson, was frustrated and angry at the Minister’s almost total lack of understanding and compassion regarding medicinal marijuana patients. "We have a minister that is not compassionate," Dr. Gregory Robinson was quoted, then went on to say that he had decided there was no point taking part in an advisory group whose advice was being ignored. Despite an outcry from the Canadian Medical Association, McLellan announced plans to deliver marijuana to patients through doctors' offices. Of course, she knew full well that many of the doctors would refuse or be ostracized for doing so, and this was the first of many hurdles she very deliberately put in the system. In fact, she had the audacity to scoff at the doctors' concerns about break-ins. "Honestly, do you think anyone is going to break into a doctor's office ... when, whether one likes it or not, you can probably find it on the street?" she said.

The letter continues….
Once again, we need look no further than the same Toronto Star article to find the doublespeak in this statement. A month before Dr. Robinson left the Advisory Committee, McLellan cancelled funding for the same clinical trials that she claims she was waiting for to move forward with the program. Her explanation was that the clinical studies needed to be “audited” and would be closed down without renewal. McLellan was in New York when the statement was made. It is difficult to imagine that some political pressure was not involved from the “drug warriors” of the United States. Never mind that numerous studies have been done worldwide on the effects of marijuana, both as a medicine and as a recreational drug. It was clear that to Anne McLellan, no such research existed. She then further states in her press release from 2002 that…

At the time of writing, this was true, but it is misleading. The Dutch were concurrently working on a program to put medical marijuana in pharmacies, and therefore make it available to patients in need. They have succeeded; in September of 2003, the Dutch government made marijuana available to patients through pharmacies.6 There was no reason that Canada could not have taken a lesson from the Dutch and implemented a similar venue for distribution.

Anne has failed, and miserably, at that. And how was she reprimanded, for deceiving the people of Canada, and for abandoning the very people the Minister of Health is supposed to be responsible for? Prime Minister Paul Martin promoted her from Health Minister to Deputy Prime Minister. It has been argued that her rise to power has more to do with the issue of appeasing Western alienation in Canada; but it is clear that she had also been richly rewarded for her successful stonewalling of medicinal marijuana in Canada. Not only have medicinal marijuana patients complained about the numerous bureaucratic hoops involved, the quality of Health Canada’s product has been rated unsafe by Canadians for Safe Access - “We were shocked to learn that due to the extensive mining and smelting that has taken place in the region over the last 80 years, Flin Flon is considered one of the most contaminated regions of Canada.”7 Why else would she have been promoted to the second-highest office in the land, after sabotaging a program that the Supreme Court of Canada had ordered the government to implement?

On June 29th, 2004, the politician that her colleagues had inexplicably dubbed “Landslide Annie” retained her seat as a representative for Edmonton Centre, Alberta, by a paltry 721 votes.8 She is still the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and also the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness9 (an superficial office that would not exist without certain hysterics from vocal neighbours, neighbours that also seem to have an inherent fear of the marijuana bogeyman). Excluding the links to Health Canada, there is no mention of marijuana, in any way shape or form, on her website. The current Minister of Health, Pierre Pettigrew,10 needs to be reminded that Anne’s irresponsible handling of the Canadian med-pot program, whether through blissful ignorance, sheer stupidity, or bitter malice, will not be tolerated. The entire government needs to be reminded that it will not be forgotten.

Bellatrix; I hope that I wasn't the only one following the polls in Edmonton Centre. It was extremely suspicious that Anne was losing all night, only to barely eke by literally minutes before the polls closed. Considering she was functioning more as a government tool than anything else, I suspect the fix was in. Take note, fellow hosers, before you cast stones at our southern neighbours for fixed elections. The well has been poisoned.

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Suetaz

Excellent article Bellatrix! Very informative. She sounds almost as evil as Andrea Barthwell. Or maybe more so, at least Andrea comes right out and says there is no medicinal value in marijuana. I hope the NDP gain as much influence as possible while they cozy up to the Liberals. I hope Jack Layton will fight her at every opportunity.

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