News (Media Awareness Project) - CN BC: Grits Won't Legalize Pot, Iggy Tells Students |
| Title: | CN BC: Grits Won't Legalize Pot, Iggy Tells Students |
| Published On: | 2010-01-22 |
| Source: | Peninsula News Review (CN BC) |
| Fetched On: | 2010-01-25 23:14:42 |
GRITS WON'T LEGALIZE POT, IGGY TELLS STUDENTS
If he wanted to talk about prorogation, Michael Ignatieff came to the
wrong place.
The federal Liberal leader has been trying to make hay from Prime Minister
Stephen Harper's decision to suspend Parliament.
But his audience at the University of Victoria last Friday was more
interested in talking about things beyond the country's borders.
"I support free market solutions to poverty reduction and building a more
global society, but I don't think a way for Canada to achieve it is to
allow (mining) corporations like Goldcorp to go into indigenous areas of
Guatemala, which they're doing," said Mark Brown, an engineering student
and member of Engineers Without Borders.
Brown's question was one of two Ignatieff faced about the human rights
records of Canadian mining firms overseas.
He answered by throwing his support behind a Liberal private member's bill
that would require the Department of Foreign Affairs to report on Canadian
miners working abroad.
"We have them in Congo, we have them in Colombia, we have them in Peru, we
have them all over the world. It's absolutely essential to our honour as a
country, our reputation as human rights defenders, that we have good
corporate citizens," Ignatieff said.
Others in the crowd of more than 200 people, mostly students, packed into
UVic's Michele Pujol room wanted to talk about Iraq, Afghanistan and
Canada's armed forces.
George Taylor asked why Ignatieff lent his support to the 2003 U.S.
invasion of Iraq.
"Two statesmen that you respect, Jean Chretien and Barack Obama both
opposed that war at the time. I'm wondering why you ... made the opposite
decision," Taylor said to loud applause.
"I got it wrong, and I've said so," Ignatieff replied.
Some issues raised were closer to home. In response to one student's
question about B.C. coastal tanker traffic, Ignatieff said Liberal policy
hasn't changed since then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau placed a
moratorium on it in 1972.
His response to another student who asked whether a Liberal government
would soften drug laws was flat.
"I won't legalize cannabis," he said.
Victoria was the last stop in a five-day, nine-engagement cross-Canada tour.
If he wanted to talk about prorogation, Michael Ignatieff came to the
wrong place.
The federal Liberal leader has been trying to make hay from Prime Minister
Stephen Harper's decision to suspend Parliament.
But his audience at the University of Victoria last Friday was more
interested in talking about things beyond the country's borders.
"I support free market solutions to poverty reduction and building a more
global society, but I don't think a way for Canada to achieve it is to
allow (mining) corporations like Goldcorp to go into indigenous areas of
Guatemala, which they're doing," said Mark Brown, an engineering student
and member of Engineers Without Borders.
Brown's question was one of two Ignatieff faced about the human rights
records of Canadian mining firms overseas.
He answered by throwing his support behind a Liberal private member's bill
that would require the Department of Foreign Affairs to report on Canadian
miners working abroad.
"We have them in Congo, we have them in Colombia, we have them in Peru, we
have them all over the world. It's absolutely essential to our honour as a
country, our reputation as human rights defenders, that we have good
corporate citizens," Ignatieff said.
Others in the crowd of more than 200 people, mostly students, packed into
UVic's Michele Pujol room wanted to talk about Iraq, Afghanistan and
Canada's armed forces.
George Taylor asked why Ignatieff lent his support to the 2003 U.S.
invasion of Iraq.
"Two statesmen that you respect, Jean Chretien and Barack Obama both
opposed that war at the time. I'm wondering why you ... made the opposite
decision," Taylor said to loud applause.
"I got it wrong, and I've said so," Ignatieff replied.
Some issues raised were closer to home. In response to one student's
question about B.C. coastal tanker traffic, Ignatieff said Liberal policy
hasn't changed since then-Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau placed a
moratorium on it in 1972.
His response to another student who asked whether a Liberal government
would soften drug laws was flat.
"I won't legalize cannabis," he said.
Victoria was the last stop in a five-day, nine-engagement cross-Canada tour.
Member Comments |
No member comments available...
