POT PARTY PUNK ROCKER TO TAKE ON DAY IN B.C.

OTTAWA -- Marc (Boris) Saint-Maurice, a Montreal rock musician and leader of
the Marijuana party, said Thursday he plans to run against Canadian Alliance
leader Stockwell Day in the Sept. 11 Okanagan-Coquihalla byelection.

Saint-Maurice, leader of the Quebec Bloc Pot that attracted about 10,000
voters in the 1998 Quebec election, said his platform is marijuana
legalization and pardons for all those with criminal records resulting from
pot possession convictions.

"That riding, as well as being previously a Reform party stronghold, is also
one of Canada's prime marijuana-producing areas. They grow an awful lot of
high-quality marijuana that's become world-renowned as B.C. Bud," said
Saint-Maurice, 31.

Saint-Maurice plans to be in Vancouver this morning and drive to the
Okanagan in the afternoon, where he said he'll began campaigning. He said he
hopes to garner support at the polls from the large population of marijuana
supporters in the province.

"[Marijuana] is really getting a legitimate status in B.C.," he said.

Local members of "the marijuana movement" will help in his campaign, he
said.

"There might be somewhat of an upset because we plan to try and get all
these pot-smoking and pot-growing, otherwise politically apathetic people,
out and give them a reason to vote," said Saint-Maurice, who is on leave
from his job as bass player for the Montreal punk band Grimskunk and working
full time for marijuana legalization.

While his party has only 150 members across Canada, Saint-Maurice said he'll
have no trouble coming up with the $1,000 deposit and the 100 signatures
from local voters to register as a candidate by Monday's deadline.

He also said Alexandre Neron of the Marijuana party plans to run against
Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark in the Sept. 11 byelection in the
Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants.

On Sept. 11, Saint-Maurice is supposed to be in court in Sault Ste Marie,
Ont. on a possession charge for marijuana. At the time of his arrest,
Saint-Maurice said the police seized a picture stuck to his car's dashboard
that showed a manipulated photograph of Stockwell Day smoking a joint.