ONE-ISSUE CANDIDATES

Wednesday was Earth Day, and in the past, the Green Party was front
and centre in helping promote an event which reminds all of us we need
to be aware of the environment.

Unfortunately, the Green Party locally, at least when it comes to
candidates in the provincial election, seems to be consumed with just
one issue - marijuana.

The 19-year-old Green Party candidate in Fort Langley-Aldergrove,
Travis Erbacher, is a well-spoken and intelligent young man. He has
written numerous letters to the editor of The Times over the past
several years. All were on variations of one topic - legalizing marijuana.

Ron Abgrall, who is running for the Green Party in Langley, may be
even more fixated on pot and its relatives, if his comments during the
recent municipal election are any guide. The one issue he became
passionate about was the foolish denial of a business licence to a
hemp-themed retail store - in which case, he was quite correct, as the
City eventually acknowledged.

Abgrall came into The Times office and got into a lengthy debate over
the difference between cannabis and marijuana. In interviews The Times
published with the two candidates for mayor of Langley City, more than
half his comments were to do with legalizing pot - hardly a City issue.

The issue of marijuana legalization seems to have become a major one
for many Green Party candidates in the provincial election - even
though the matter is a federal one. The absence of the Marijuana Party
this time, and the presence of Marijuana Party founder Marc Emery's
wife Jodie as a Green Party candidate in Vancouver, suggests there may
have been a reverse takeover of the Greens by the one-issue party that
has been bankrolled by Emery for years.

In the past, the Green Party has run some very strong candidates in
Langley in both provincial and federal elections. They were genuine
environmentalists who had an interest in many environmental-related
issues.

They stressed the importance of public transit; talked about
sustainable agriculture; championed water management programs and
campaigned for a ban on pesticide use.

The current crop of candidates is a major disappointment, compared to
what Langley residents have been offered by the Greens in the past.