POLITICIANS CARE MORE ABOUT IDEOLOGY THAN THE LAW

Re: The right to shoot up, May 29.

The Citizen's editorial argues that "Politicians are elected to make
difficult decisions." It then offers the opinion that "when courts
usurp that role, they also erase the electorate's right to hold
politicians accountable."

In fact, our courts are an integral and essential component of our
very successful free and democratic form of government and have an
obligation to ensure that enacted laws are consistent with our Constitution.

Yes, we elect politicians to provide leadership and to make
important, and sometimes controversial, decisions on our behalf.

Nevertheless, we also expect our politicians to obey the law, just
like the rest of us are expected to.

The Canadian Constitution is a fundamental law which I expect our
elected officials to obey.

It is a law they seem willing to flout when it does not fit in with
their ideology.

Even though research has shown that a harm reduction approach to drug
abuse has many benefits, our minister of health still clings to the
party line and denies users health care to help deal with their problems.

And when health care professionals try new, research-based and
innovative solutions, our own government wants them shut down because
they don't fit with the ideological stance of "you do the crime, you
do the time."

I think it's time for the Conservative party to wake up to the
realities of today and to deal with these issues in the spirit of our
Canadian Constitution and implement policies that promote equality
for all and, yes, harm reduction for those addicted to drugs.

Richard Kowalski,

Ottawa