EXCUSE ME RANDY, WHILE I LIGHT THIS SPLIFF...

White Goes to Pot...

Conservative MP Randy White got quite a bit of attention during the
June election campaign for comments about the justice system and the
Constitution that some say helped to undermine his party and give the
Liberals a minority government. But political gaffes weren't his only
problem during the campaign.

Never shy about attacking those he thinks are soft on crime, and
criminals, the MP for Langley-Abbotsford, B.C., made some startling
allegations during an election campaign appearance on Dave
Rutherford's QR77 radio talk show in Calgary.

He mentoned a respectable Toronto-based national trust company in
connection with illegal pot-growing operations. Mind you, in this
case, quicker than you can say "reefer madness" Mr. White was
retracting his comments.

In an on-air apology, Mr. White stated his comments were "inaccurate"
and said he was wrong to have suggesting [sic] the Maple Trust Company
was "involved in the financing of marijuana grow operations."

Mr. White added: "I should not have suggested that Maple Trust Company
was involved in the financing of marijuana grow operations, nor should
I have implied any connection between Maple Trust and the criminals
who engage in an industry-wide problem that plagues all lenders."

He also fired off a letter of apology to the company, a copy of which
somehow ended up with The Hill Times last week, much to Mr. White's
surprise and displeasure.

There was no official comment from the company lawyers by deadline
time, but company spokesperson Jim McLean said it had been noted that
Mr. White had apologized on air and in writing.

Which is notable in itself -- it's not often you get Mr. White to
apologize. Then again, MPs aren't protected by Parliamentary privleige
for anything they said in radio show interviews. And it really isn't
wise to make false statements about a company with $120-million in
equity and $1.6-billion in assets.