PUT CANADA'S NEEDS FIRST

Prime Minister Stephen Harper stumbled when he defended his
government's policies on the legalization of marijuana.

And his biggest fault may be in putting American concerns ahead of
Canadian ones.

Legalizing marijuana in Canada would "cause us a great deal of
trouble at the border with the United States," he said in an
interview with the Filipino Post.

"I don't want to say they would seal the border. But I think it would
inhibit our trade generally because they're certainly not going to
make that move (legalizing marijuana) in the United States," he said.
"I think as a cross-border phenomenon, this would cause Canada a lot
of difficulty."

Do we need permission from the U.S. to pass laws in Canada?

Never mind that cross-border trade has been a minefield, and one that
the Harper government has been rather timid about.

The soft-lumber industry in Canada, for example, has been chastised
by the U.S. government, which has demanded controls on our exports
because we offer a cheaper deal.

The latest American-products-only campaign speaks volumes.

Then there was the U.S. ban on Canadian beef after a single case of
BSE was discovered on an Alberta farm. Restrictions on our beef cost
producers millions of dollars, driving many into bankruptcy.

Canadian beef producers scrambled to right the situation to appease
the U.S. and prove our beef was clean.

And when the borders finally reopened to Canadian beef, U.S.
producers still tried to block imports.

In each debate about trade, despite existence of the North American
Free Trade Agreement, American interests seemed to overwhelm Canadian ones.

And much the same seems to be occurring now with the marijuana debate.

"Look, I know the drug trade is a frustration. I know it fuels a lot
of criminal activities," Harper said. "But I think . . . any body is
fooling themselves if they think that somehow the drug trade would
become a nice business if it were legalized."

And so it would seem that Harper is not willing to listen to others,
regardless of how persuasive the evidence might be.

We are, presumably, simply going to march to the American drum when
it comes to the war on drugs.

Last week, four former Vancouver mayors signed an open letter urging
politicians to consider legalizing marijuana, saying the policies
will increase government revenue, remove illicit profits that lead to
gang violence, and eliminate costly legal proceedings.

Harper's response?

"This government doesn't favour the legalization of drugs. Drugs are
not bad because they're illegal. They're illegal because they are
bad. They are corrosive to society. They're part of worldwide
criminal and sometimes even terrorism networks and they do terrible
things to people."

Yet alcohol and nicotine are legal in Canada, governments profit
immensely from their sale, and the commerce surrounding those
products is not dominated by criminal elements.

As well, Harper makes no distinction between marijuana and hard-core
drugs like heroin, crystal meth and cocaine.

Nor does his stance reflect the reality that those drugs aren't
leaching into the U.S. via Canadian borders, they're coming from
Mexico, Afghanistan and Colombia.

It's well past time that this country had an open discussion about
legalizing marijuana.

The Canadian perspective just might be more constructive, and less
costly socially and fiscally, than the American perspective.

Rick Zemanek is an Advocate editor.