FILL 'ER UP

We have to admit a certain fondness for Dalton McGuinty's latest
legislative initiative -- a proposed law that would force every
member of the provincial legislature to be routinely subjected to
mandatory drug tests.

His proposal to establish an Office of Drug Testing and Surveillance
of the Members of the Legislative Assembly has a delightful ring to
it, although the acronym -- ODTSMLA -- might be a mouthful.

Surely, a simpler name would suffice, something like the Ontario Pee
Patrol, although the OPP might object.

But let's not get hung up on details -- it's the intent that counts,
and since we'll already have drug testers out in the field under a
Tory-inspired initiative to crack down on welfare recipients, why not
take advantage of the opportunity to swing by Queen's Park every once
and awhile?

The Marijuana Party would do well to seize on this plan, if only to
confirm its claim that far too many otherwise law-abiding people in
this province -- including a few legislators, no doubt -- are pot
smokers yet don't deserve to be branded as criminals.

We support the idea of mandatory tests for politicians, but for
entirely different reasons.

We're intrigued at the prospect of knowing exactly what mandatory
drug tests would discover about our provincial representatives.

For example, we'd bet more than a few NDP MPPs would flunk the cannabis test.

As for the Liberals, they're probably safe unless drug testers are
able to detect high levels of righteous indignation.

As for the Tories, while they might give the scotch-o-metre a
workout, it's unlikely to detect much else. After all, a Tory's idea
of Ecstasy is a tax cut.

While we like the idea, realistically, it's unlikely the Liberal
leader's plan will go very far.

It's merely intended to embarrass the Tories by noting that welfare
recipients aren't the only ones who get a regular cheque courtesy of
taxpayers.

And he's right -- if the government is serious about cracking down on
the tiny percentage of welfare receivers who might happen to be
chronic drug users, then the least it can do is apply the rules in a
uniform way to anyone collecting a government pay cheque.

It's an issue of fairness.

To pee or not to pee -- that is the question.