A STICKY IDEOLOGICAL WICKET FOR HARPER & CO.

The supervised drug injection site in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
is going to be the first real test of the Harper government's
commitment to its political ideology.

No other issue since the Conservatives have been in power has been
quite as difficult for the party to reconcile with its core beliefs.

And, uncomfortably, no other has provided so much justification for a
government to bow to moderation and pragmatism.

Stephen Harper knows if he closes the four-year-old project, a
firestorm of controversy will follow. And this is why Insite -- used
daily by 700 to 1,000 addicts -- was recently granted a reprieve, to
next June. To operate, Insite requires an exemption from federal drug laws.

Let no one be fooled by the Conservative magnanimity. A Harper
government would board up Insite the moment its electoral mandate is renewed.

And this is why Insite will be a significant symbol in the next
election, much as same-sex marriage or abortion rights might have
been in the past had the party not winkled compromises and
accommodations to neutralize those hot potatoes.

The potential closure of Insite will serve in any election campaign
to underscore the fears many moderate-minded voters continue to
harbour about Harper and his government. All other federal parties
approve of the project.

The supervised injection site is thornier than gay unions or abortion
because only a tiny, marginalized group of Canadians uses it, for an
activity that is clearly illegal.

It's also very "out there" -- on a main thoroughfare in Vancouver's
core. Intuitively, its function makes no sense, like giving matches
to pyromaniacs or creampuffs to the obese.

So, along comes the prime minister last week in Winnipeg, announcing
a $63.8-million national get-tough drug strategy and pronouncing
himself a continuing skeptic on the success of Insite.

Nothing in the anti-drug strategy gives offence -- what
right-thinking Canadian would object to tougher penalties for
traffickers, more money for prevention or a crackdown on
marijuana-growing operations?

But the refusal to commit to the $2-million-a-year Insite as part of
the strategy smacks of right-wing ideology, a pandering to the
Conservative base over reason and science.

Insite is not any sort of panacea. It's a real-life response to a
despicable situation, a harm reduction tool in the anti-drug basket.

Since late 2003, 750 overdoses took place at the centre; medical
interventions occurred in every instance. No Insite client died in a
back alley and hospital emergency treatments were reduced.

According to Insite data, 20 per cent of its regular users have begun
a detox program.

There is less needle sharing, and injection-related litter is reduced
around East Hastings.

In August of 2006, three former Vancouver mayors organized a news
conference urging Insite's continuation: Mike Harcourt, Philip Owen
and Gordon Campbell. Current Mayor Sam Sullivan also is a supporter.

The centre is backed by Health Canada, the B.C. government, the
Vancouver police and B.C.'s Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.

Studies touting positive aspects of the Insite project have appeared
in the following periodicals: the New England Journal of Medicine;
the Lancet; Substance Abuse Treatment; the American Journal of
Preventive Medicine; the Canadian Medical Association Journal; the
International Journal of Drug Policy; and the British Medical Journal.

For Health Minister Tony Clement to assert that more study is
required before a federal commitment is given to the Insite project
is laughable. The government is just trying to avoid the issue before
an election.

A smart political strategist would remind Harper that health is a
provincial jurisdiction and that Conservatives represent the party
that has resolved to show respect to provinces and not step on their
jurisdictional toes.

Thus the Harper government should pronounce itself ready to take
direction on the Insite project from the B.C. government, which
represents the folks who live here and have to deal with the drug
menace. That way it could avoid a showdown with its own ideologues
while allowing reason to trump ideology.

Such a gesture would give comfort to those Canadians who continue to
have reservations, well-founded or otherwise, about hidden
Conservative agendas.