MERRIFIELD WANTS TOUGHER JUSTICE SYSTEM

The justice system, the Gomery Inquiry and same sex marriages were just
three of the topics discussed at a town hall meeting hosted by Yellowhead
MP Rob Merrifield, April 16.

Fifty people turned out at the Pioneer Cabin for the afternoon session,
where Merrifield took questions throughout on various issues.

Something has to done to plug the holes in the nation's criminal justice
system, which continues to cater more to the offender than it does to the
victim, said Merrifield.

He warned repeats of the James Roszko incident will occur more often if the
system doesn't get tougher.

"We'll have incidents which are bad as this one or worse."

He said RCMP officers have told him that there's a different kind of
criminal on the street -- one that's no longer fearful of frontline
officers. Merrifield said we also have to get tougher on marijuana grow
operations. In B.C. he said one in seven of the grow-ops there are valued
at $280,000 or more but that only one in 10 of those who do it get jail time.

He added the marijuana of today is more powerful than ever, with some of it
containing 30 per cent THC, compared to five or seven per cent 20 or 30
years ago.

"A society that doesn't protect itself from its criminals is a society in
trouble," warned Merrifield.

On the continuing sponsorship scandal, the Yellowhead MP repeated that this
will go down as the "worst scandal in Canadian history." He said the Gomery
Inquiry into the scandal has become a TV phenomena in Quebec, so much so
that staples of day time programming are being knocked out of their
perennial penthouse.

"When you start moving Another World out of its time slot you know
something's happening," said Merrifield.

There is speculation by some political pundits that the Gomery Inquiry will
influence Quebecers to exclusively vote for the Bloc in the next federal
election, but Merrifield isn't so sure.

"Quebecers are very strategic in their voting. They (the majority) aren't
separatist -- but they're strategic."

As far as Ontario is concerned, Merrifield thinks voters there might be
ready to vote Conservative.

"In 17 seats in Ontario we were within 1,000 seats (of winning)."

The feeling on same sex marriage in Yellowhead is quite universal, as only
about half a dozen constituents have contacted his offices saying they
would be for it. The remainder -- "thousands" -- are for the traditional
side -- the union of a man and a women, said Merrifield.

The Yellowhead MP, who is a beef farmer, said some people may be tired of
what they view as the constant harping of producers. But as far as he was
concerned farmers have subsidized their urban counterparts far too long --
that government policies have led to lower food prices that have hurt the
growers and producers.

"All they (farmers) want is a fair price," said Merrifield.

As far as when the next federal election should take place, people had
mixed thoughts, but Merrifield had a prediction as far as what will happen
when the Gomery Inquiry smoke clears and the final verdict is in.

"I think, before it's over, you'll see some high profile individuals doing
time."