ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK

Law enforcement officers have a tough job. Just when you think they
have been given enhanced tools to do their jobs better and get more
criminal convictions, more jail time for the guilty, more drugs and
weapons off our streets, some politicians change the rules and make
things more difficult.

We're referring to a decision by the Liberal-dominated Senate, who on
Wednesday watered down a Conservative law-and-order bill, which was
introduced earlier this year. The senators, in their infinite wisdom,
eliminated a requirement for marijuana growers who grow as few as five
plants to serve mandatory six-month jail terms. By a vote of 49-43,
the Senate committee proposed to raise the bar to more than 201
plants, rather than stick with the number proposed by the Conservative
government, and adopted in the House of Commons.

After a good deal of work by our politicians and co-operation,
something that is quite rare in Ottawa these days, a tough bill that
would see small-time growers and dealers get some significant jail
time is quashed in a matter of seconds by the Senate. Does this make
any sense? Why would the Senate choose to do this? Are they trying to
undermine the Conservative government and do some bidding for their
Liberal party friends? It would appear so from where we are sitting.
What other plausible reason would they have to vote to weaken this
bill? If anything the Senate should have voted to strengthen it.

This vote isn't sitting too well with police officers.

The Vancouver Police Department held an impromptu media conference
Wednesday afternoon denouncing the decision. A VPD spokesperson
figures that now the small-time dealers, many of whom have taken up
shop here on the Sunshine Coast, will take their 200-plus plant
operations and scale them down into four or five smaller operations,
thus avoiding the threat of jail time if they are caught.

The Street Crew unit of the Sunshine Coast RCMP is very active taking
down big and small marijuana grow operations. If the watered-down bill
does pass, it means that most of the work done by our local detachment
will be for naught. The small-time growers will get a slap on the
wrist, might not serve any jail time and will be back on the street
setting up their next operation.

No wonder the public has lost so much faith in our political system.
It's just one step forward and two steps back.