Blink Blink: Liberals To Choose Prisons Over Child Care?
I would like to know how are Liberals are going to build daycare and early learning programs if we are spending all our money on more jails? It is already costing tons of money and overcrowding is a massive problem. The reality is we are facing huge deficits. Don’t tell me we can do both Liberal Party of Canada because it’s just not true in our new economic reality. The Chronicle Herald reports,
We are not Republicans here with their totally ineffective, prison-crazy policies that cost billions and billions and left nothing for anything else except maybe war. Huge numbers of inmates in jails are mentally ill or have learning disabilities. Good luck trying to address any of these issues in the early years where criminal lifestyle choices are ideally prevented if all our money is going to housing more and more prisoners. How completely illogical of the Liberal party. I think they will lose support over this.
The Bloc will have a field day with further talk of teenage boys in jail for having a few marijuana plants targeted, indoctrinated and even raped by hardened criminals thanks to the Liberal party’s new right wing directions. I strongly disagree with this stance by the Liberals and total capitulation to the Conservatives.
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June 5th, 2009 at 6:31 am
Mandatory sentencing will not deter drug crimes…..
…anymore then capital punishment deters murder.
Let me add my voice to the growing number of Liberal bloggers who have said they oppose the Liberal Party supporting the Conservative government’s bill to impose automatic jail terms for drug…
June 5th, 2009 at 7:11 am
I am afraid that it is a only a Liberal Party in name nowadays. Alas….
June 5th, 2009 at 7:16 am
I am definitely not in the mood anymore to celebrate this weekend with Liberals. I am really shocked by these new directions of my party.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:35 am
What’s Ignatieff’s position on marijuana decriminilization? Didn’t he talk about it at town hall in BC some time ago or am I mistaken? Is he in favour of Keith Martin’s private member’s bill to decrimilize it?
June 5th, 2009 at 7:43 am
I am not sure anymore John. And seeing as how it is not decriminalized and likely won’t be until another party forms the government, those people will also get caught in this disastrous, brand new, totally unLiberal position.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:10 am
I’n nearly at the point where I want to rip up my party membership.
EVERY poll on marijuana shows Canadians want it legalized. 70% of party members on En Famille and the BC wing of the party voted for legalization. So don’t tell me supporting this policy is a “political reality.”
A political reality is that this will RUIN party support in BC. There is no way in hell we are going to win back Victoria or Saanich Gulf Islands now. In fact, even Keith Martin is going to find it tough getting reelected with his new party direction on drug policy.
The Liberal silence on this issue is deafening.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:50 am
You do not think that the mood of all the Liberals could do any good… and let Michael know how we feel?
June 5th, 2009 at 10:43 am
It’s not like we didn’t know better. After living through three terms of a LINO provincial government, we’re now treated to a LINO federal party. It is good to see more centre and centre-left Libs finally standing up to this guy.
June 5th, 2009 at 10:51 am
I wrote this to the party this morning:
Subject: support C-15 lose BC liberals – this one for sure
if you support the mandatory minimums legislation I will send you back my Liberal Party Membership and not support the Party further.
I live Vancouver but I have lived and worked in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and know for a fact this legislation is not supported country-wide.
It has less support in the population as a whole than the opposite.
June 5th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Wasn’t Ignatieff pro-Bush when he was a Harvard history professor? Surely Ignatieff’s thinking is more Republican-Conservative than it is progressive Liberal. Of course, now that he’s the Liberal party leader, he may be on a Liberal leader / Canadian values learning curve. Give him a few more years …
June 5th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Don’t get me wrong there is still plenty I love about Liberals and I still like Ignatieff… just really disagree with this decision as I believe it goes against my core values. I can let lots pass me by if it doesn’t hit these but this one did. I think we are having a misunderstanding here of where Liberal power really comes from. To be honest I have not heard it directly from Ignatieff either and until I hear it from him I am possibly wrong altogether. Did the vote take place?
Note: Thanks to Susan Delacourt for mentioning my blog in the Star….. I really respect the Star as a news organization.
June 5th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
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June 6th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Looks like emails are being blocked from people letting the caucus know their displeasure. Therefore, people who want to oppose C-15 should also call the OLO at 613-996-6740 and let him know that way.
June 6th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Well I used Runesmith’s email list to email the Liberal MP’s on this issue and I didn’t receive any notices that the emails did not go through.
June 9th, 2009 at 7:33 am
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June 9th, 2009 at 8:18 am
What an impossible position the Liberals have put us in.
Up until now they had my vote.
How could any responsible federal party back a bill that cannot and will not work,based on all available evidence, but will, during a recession, cost 100’s of millions of tax dollars to lock away a person passing a joint.
Are we supposed to believe the Police will use disgretion? Please.
How could the opinion polls about legalization at 54% to 65% in favor be ignored?
How could the Liberals think it ok to imprison marijuana users for passing joints and growing 5 plants?
How can the 37 year old history of failure endured by the Americans be passed off as if it didn’t happen.
I am more angry at the Liberals at this point than the Conservatives. I expected this from the conservatives, and at a time when Canada wants obvious change, to me, the Liberals now, “OWN THIS BILL”. They had an opportunity to show us substance and failed to pass the test.
If this is how they have decided to run the country if elected, than we have the same BS we have endured under the Conservatives.
They have shown themselves to be idiots. The conservatives must be jumping for joy. The backlash from the grassroots community will be enormous.
The party to govern Canada must make intellegent decisions based on factual information. Concern for the implications of those decisions should be at the forefront. When the decision is made to back policies proven to be absolute failures, when the stats and experts are ignored, then political pandering is the issue. Who are the pandering to? Once the details of this Bill are brought to the attention of the public, how will they explain their decision? Why is this so important? Because this shows the Liberals to be a party who cares little about honest politics, and really we are all sick of extreme right wing politics. Thousands of families will now see their loved ones doing real prison time for a substance no one is even sure causes any harm.
I am ready to vote NDP.
Mike Savage wrote me a return e-mail recently, agreeing with every point I made regarding this insane bill and yet I see he voted for it. What kind of leadership is that? I am afraid to put a label on it, but it stinks.