LIFE ON THE FRINGE: A LOOK AT SOME OF THE UNDERDOGS OF CANADIAN POLITICS

The Marijuana Party of Canada (MP), and their sole reason for
existence is to achieve the legalization of marijuana.

For Carol Taylor, Ottawa native, dominatrix and MP candidate for the
riding of Ottawa-Vanier, politics has been a life-long passion,
something she characterizes as her "primal fetish."

More importantly, Taylor suffers from neuropathic pain and thalamic
syndrome - a condition resulting from a 1992 stroke that cripples her
with chronic pain and a kind of anorexia.

"My health really does depend on this particular issue," said Taylor.
"The first reason, obviously, is pain management - I have to take a
cocktail of medications every day. The second is that marijuana
stimulates my appetite [countering the anorexia and nausea]."

The MP was formed in 1999, first appearing in the 2000 elections where
it gained 66,258 or 0.5 per cent of the popular vote.

It is, Taylor notes, a specifically cause oriented party.

"We are about one thing and one thing only, the legalization of
marijuana," she said. "I know there are many other issues that are on
the table - and it is fair to say that we are a protest party."

She says the MP exists solely to promote the legalization of cannabis
and to stimulate debate on the issue - an issue, she explains, that
was not addressed by any of the parties during the leadership debates.

The MP, like CHP and the MLP, relies mostly on membership cards and
donations to finance itself. However, Taylor explains that the MP has
found other "innovative" ways of gaining hard cash.

"We are selling marijuana seeds during the campaign," she said. "The
seeds are legal; they only become criminal if you add water."

Given the party's focus on one specific goal, the question of what
would happen if they achieved that end begs to be asked.

"The only thing I've ever heard spoken of to that effect is that it
would be time for us to pull out of Parliament and get on with the
future," she said, laughing. "We would focus on making sure marijuana
is distributed fairly [to those who need it] and we would work to
ensure that the quality of the cannabis is kept to as high a standard
as possible."

She says the MP believes marijuana to be a safe and useful substance;
once legalized they would like to see any funds generated from its
production go toward the treatment and education of addicts.

While the odds are against any of these smaller parties significantly
growing in numbers any time soon, there is no telling what the future
will hold as people become disenchanted with mainstream politics and
search out viable alternatives.

The NDP challenge to the Liberals and Conservatives, after all, has
fulfilled this very function by (at least until the last decade),
doggedly advocating left-wing policies that catered to their core
constituency of organized labour. Both the Reform party and the Bloc
Quebecois also began as small fringe or protest parties and quickly
gained widespread in the regions from which they emerged.

These parties illustrate how quickly groups on the fringes of
political life can gain support, which helps validate - at least to
some extent - the sacrifices currently being made by candidates
running for small parties in the June federal election.