My Edits in RED or should i say remarks.

Happy New Year and what a thing to read on a new year :jointsmile:

Monday » January
1 » 2007
Canada looks to USA for drug policy hints
Peter O'Neil
Vancouver Sun
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
To listen to story, click the VoicePrint link
OTTAWA -- Conservative cabinet ministers and their aides are consulting with
"keen" U.S. government officials (Keen to tell us what to do and how to run our country)on a new national drug strategy for Canada,
according to internal documents obtained by The Vancouver Sun.
"There have been various senior-level meetings between U.S. officials and
ministers/ministers' offices," states a summary of a June 16, 2006 meeting on
the Tory drug initiative, involving bureaucrats at nine federal departments and
agencies. Back room Hidden meetings and agendas make one not trust the goverment)
"U.S. officials have been keen to discuss drug issues with the current
government."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper's 2006 election platform promised a new drug
strategy that would include a national youth awareness strategy.
Harper also called for mandatory minimum sentences and large fines for serious
drug offenders, including marijuana growing operators and "producers and
dealers of crystal meth and crack."
The Tory government has since come under criticism for taking a tough,
U.S.-style approach to drug crime while downplaying the so-called "harm
reduction" approach that led to the 2003 establishment of the supervised
injection site for Vancouver's drug addicts.
The five-page summary, obtained through the Access to Information Act,
noted that John Walters, director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control
Policy, and a frequent critic of Canadian drug policy under the Liberals -- was
planning to visit Canada this autumn.
"The meeting was postponed for scheduling reasons. It's anticipated the
meeting will take place early in the new year," said Rodney Moore, a
spokesman for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.
The Canadian national drug strategy will be launched in the fall or winter, the
documents note, after which Canadian diplomats "will need to do outreach with
the U.S. and our like-minded countries."( narow minded countries that is)
The strategy will focus on "a few key priority areas that the current
government could focus and build on," such as "clandestine labs, marihuana
grow operations, synthetic drugs," the document states. "Another key element
of the proposed national strategy is the national awareness campaign for
youth." (another usless DARE campain ??? )


The document also cites government plans to toughen laws for drug-impaired
driving. Justice Minister Vic Toews has tabled legislation on that matter.
Mike Storeshaw, a spokesman for Toews, said he couldn't speculate on when
the strategy will be announced.( Later the better and rethink the war on drugs but then there on drugs even thinking of following the ill fated war on drugs)
Storeshaw said the Canada-U.S. meetings make sense given the concerns
shared by both countries about cross-border crime. "Obviously ministers
interact with their counterparts internationally. Americans are important
counterparts especially when it comes to drug crime," he said. "Drugs are one
of the prime motivators for crime, (prohibition made it a crime and it was not based on fact when it was done)particularly cross-border crime."
Neil Boyd, a criminologist at Simon Fraser University, said U.S. interest in
Canada's drug plans is no surprise.( with the DEA having offices in Canada. and trying to bring Canadians to face trials in the US Mark Emery for exaple )
"The Harper government favours a U.S.-style approach to drug problems,
which is to lock more people up and don't treat it as a health problem, treat it(Why he wants to follow a flawed approch is beyond sensable)
as a criminal law problem of morality," Boyd said. "That's very much at odds
with what's going on in Europe and there's really no good evidence to suggest that it's going to be terribly useful."
New Democratic Party MP Libby Davies, whose Vancouver East riding includes
the supervised injection facility in the Downtown Eastside, said the Harper
government appears to be "taking orders" from the American. "We have
made-in-Canada policies that are working," she said. "Why isn't [Harper]
looking to Europe and the successes they've had there?"
(blind followers can't see or chose not to see a system that works. Or we must somewere in one of the secretive meetings been told there may be trade sanctions against us is what i bet !!!)

- - -This
story can be heard online after 10:30 a.m. today at
www.vancouversun.com/readaloud.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
Copyright © 2007 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.

It is interesting that the info and to be forced from the goverment using the freedom of information act. to bring it out to the public.

You can feel free to correct me if you want im not perfect