MANDATORY JAIL SENTENCES WILL FILL UP OUR PRISONS

Every time I become optimistic that our society is developing
positively, a quick glance
at the Conservatives proves me wrong.

Mandatory sentences, like those proposed by the Tories, will crowd
prisons with non-violent offenders and waste valuable tax dollars for
unnecessary prison expansion.

Even if these laws worked, why prohibit drugs in the first
place?

Irresponsible gamblers and drinkers of alcohol are destructive to our
society, but we don't incarcerate them. We realize that the majority
of people who gamble and drink do so responsibly and prohibition is
not the answer.

The sacrifice of liberty for all because of the actions of a few is
unacceptable.

The Conservatives are looking to increase government spending and
restrict our civil liberties, all to stop the private use of
mind-altering substances.

Do you remember the last time Canadian conservatives stood for minimal
government and individual responsibility? Me neither.

Reilly Wood, Vancouver