It’s not quite reefer madness but the closer we get to the legalization of pot the more I think the federal government has been pretty much making it up as it goes along.
There are so many questions that need answers.
Quebec announced this week that it wants to ban homegrown cannabis, but is that even enforceable? Will we need more cops to regulate this, or maybe a new government agency?
Perhaps get some of those language inspectors on the case? They certainly need something to do.
But the declaration is that only pot with the government of Quebec seal of approval will be permitted. Let’s see how well that works out.
Where will it be sold?
Ontario is going for a government-run operation which of course will mean it will be pricier and will fuel a black market.
If you think legalization will kill illegal pot growers and sellers, think again.
I’m sure the Hell’s Angels are not too worried, but it’s easy to see how governments will be addicted to pot revenues.
Our police forces are not ready either.
The chiefs told a House of Commons committee this week there is no way they will be able to enforce new laws by next July.
Specifically they need time to train officers in how to handle drug impaired drivers.
The chiefs want Ottawa to postpone the date by six to 12 months.
The debate is no longer over legalized pot or not--it is coming--but we need proper regulation to ensure public safety.
But in so many ways the approach has been haphazard.
The legislation has too many holes and there are too many questions.
Some serious weeding is needed. (Sorry.)
Starve the beast (of English education)
As predicted the PQ has gone on an offensive against English education.
It wants to starve English CEGEPs of funding so that fewer francophones and allophones can attend them.
It’s like applying Bill 101 to CEGEPS through the back door.
Once again the PQ and its leader Jean Francois Lisee show how out of touch they are with the changing language landscape in Quebec.
Nearly two-thirds of francophones (yes, francophones) surveyed this summer are opposed to restricting access to English colleges. More than half want to abolish Bill 101 for elementary and high schools!
Jean-Francois Lisée also received a 92.8 percent vote of confidence from delegates.
That and $3.25 will get you on the metro. It doesn’t matter. He is all they’ve got and time is running out.
Municipal politics is heating up
The Montreal mayoralty race is about to heat up with the November 5th election rapidly approaching. Promises will pop up like tulips in the spring and then fall as fast as autumn leaves.
But one promise I heard this week is worthy of consideration.
Valerie Plante of Projet Montreal says she would do away with traffic ticket quotas in Montreal- quotas tied to police management bonuses.
She says in 2016, $350,000 was paid out in bonuses.
Now the mayor says he doesn’t know what she is talking about, saying there are ticket criteria but not quotas.
However the evidence is pretty strong. Even the police union complains about quotas, leading many Montrealers to wonder the real reason they were pulled over from a police department that already has serious issues with public relations.
It’s one of those issues, among many others, that may make this election closer than you think.
