LEGALIZE WEED, GRIT DELEGATES SAY

Youth Wing's Motion Passes Overwhelmingly

OTTAWA -- Federal Liberals are taking some risky departures from the
cautious political norm in a bid to put their once-mighty party back
on the electoral map.

Sunday, they overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling for the
legalization and regulation of marijuana -- a position immediately
endorsed in principle by interim leader Bob Rae, although it remains
to be seen how, or if, the resolution translates into a platform plank
for the next election.

"Let's face up to it, Canada: The war on drugs has been a complete bust,"
Rae declared in a closing speech to a three-day Liberal renewal convention.

Until now, Liberals have called only for decriminalization of
marijuana, as has the NDP. The new call to legalize it completely and
regulate its production and sale, much as with alcohol, is in stark
contrast to the policy of the governing Conservatives, who included
stiffer penalties for marijuana possession in their omnibus
tough-on-crime bill.

The legalize-pot resolution came on the heels of another potentially
risky gamble for the Liberals. After a heated debate late Saturday,
delegates agreed to invite all liberal-minded Canadians to take part
in choosing the party's next leader.

The party will create a new class of Liberal "supporters" -- anyone
willing to register as believers in core Liberal values -- who will
not have to pay a fee for a membership card to participate in
leadership contests.

Wrapping up the convention, Rae heralded the two moves as a sign the
chastened Liberal party is reaching out and renewing itself after last
May's humiliating rout, when the party was reduced to a third-party
rump with only 34 seats in Parliament.

"We Liberals have clearly and emphatically said to the people of Canada: 'We
embrace change and we embrace all Canadians as we rebuild this great
national party.' "

Delegates further embraced change by choosing Mike Crawley as their
new party president. He beat out Sheila Copps, a veteran former
cabinet minister, who some Liberals felt symbolized the past, by a
slim 26 votes.

Rae maintained the convention underscores the difference between the
Liberals and the more ideologically driven Tories and NDP, whom he
described as dogmatic adherents to rigid "orthodoxies."

"If you want to be part of a group of free-thinking, innovative,
thoughtful, pragmatic, hopeful, positive, happy people, come and join
the Liberal party," he exhorted, adding with a chuckle, "And after the
resolution on marijuana today, it's going to be a group of even
happier people in the Liberal party."

Rae told delegates it makes no sense "to send another generation of
young people into prison" for marijuana offences when "the most
addictive substances that are facing Canada today are alcohol and
cigarettes."

Though they were willing to take some risks, delegates balked at a
resolution calling on Canada to consider cutting its ties to the
monarchy, an idea that would open a constitutional can of worms.

Both the marijuana and monarchy resolutions were put forward by the
party's youth wing, which argued the Liberal party needs to advance
bold ideas that are more reflective of young people if it is to revive.

"I think that there's a certain amount of generational change
happening in the party," said Samuel Lavoie, president of the Liberal
youth wing.

"We're willing to push the envelope and we have the numbers and we
have the willpower to flex our muscles when it's needed."

The marijuana resolution is not binding on the leader or party.
Delegates specifically rejected a proposal to remove the leader's veto
over the contents of future election platforms, so there's no
guarantee the party will ever actually campaign on legalizing pot.

Under Jean Chretien's government, the Liberals introduced legislation
to make possession of small amounts of marijuana a ticketing, rather
than criminal, offence.

The bill was not pursued when Paul Martin took over the helm of the
party and the Harper government has since dropped the idea entirely,
moving in the opposite direction.

Delegates also supported reforming the country's electoral system,
agreeing to promote the idea of preferential balloting in federal
elections, rather than the current first-past-the-post system.
Preferential ballots, in which voters rank candidates, would ensure
that only those who receive more than 50 per cent of the vote in their
ridings would be elected to the House of Commons.

If no one received more than half the votes right off the bat, the
last-place candidate in a riding would be eliminated, with his or her
supporters' second choices then being tallied. The process would
continue until one candidate emerged with more than 50 per cent.

They also endorsed a non-binding directive that all Liberal nomination
contests be open, other than specified exceptions recommended by the
leader and approved by the party's national executive.