POT BILL FATE CONFRONTS LETHAL MIX OF DISSENT

Vocal Opposition Have Deep Concerns With Proposal

OTTAWA -- The Chretien government's bill to decriminalize marijuana is
already in danger of dying on the order paper as it faces a potentially
lethal mix of internal Liberal dissent and parliamentary deadlines.

Just one day after the Liberals introduced the landmark legislation, Grit
backbenchers opposed to the pot bill were preparing for its burial.

And even those backing the bill were conceding an already heavy
parliamentary agenda may make it impossible to pass it into law before the
end of the year and a change in the Liberal leadership.

"It may not be stillborn but it certainly is not going to pass by the time
we rise for the summer,'' said Sharon Carstairs, the cabinet minister
charged with stickhandling the bill through the senate if it passes the
Commons.

John Harvard, the Winnipeg MP who chairs the Western Liberal caucus, also
has his doubts about whether the bill will be able to be passed as part of
Prime Minister Jean Chretien's last hurrah before retiring.

"My guess is there would be a problem because I don't know whether the
House is going to sit this fall, and if it does, whether it will sit for
long,'' said Harvard, who backs the bill. "I would be quite surprised if we
had a law like this by the end of the fall.'' The bill which would replace
criminal sentences with fines for possession of small amounts of pot is
facing two big hurdles. The first battle is within the Liberal caucus where
a vocal minority of backbenchers have deep concerns with the proposed law.

Toronto-area Liberal MP Joe Volpe said the bill appeared to come "out of
the blue'' and sends a confusing message to Canadians.

"Don't use it (pot) but it is OK if you do,'' Volpe said. "I don't know
what the message is we want to give but it certainly is not a good one.''

But the second and deeper problem for the bill is that Chretien's reign is
running out of time. The latest the Commons can sit this spring before
breaking for summer is June 20. But the three remaining weeks of the
session are already jammed tight with a number of other big pieces of
legislation that Chretien has made a priority, such as changes to the
Indian Act, campaign finance reform and parliamentary ethics.

Parliament doesn't resume until Sept. 15 and there is growing concern
Chretien might pull the plug on the session sometime this fall as his hold
on power weakens and while the party continues its leadership contest which
will be decided in Toronto Nov. 15.

St. Boniface MP Ray Simard said he has concerns about the bill and wants a
full debate, including public hearings across the country. "It is dangerous
to ram this thing through, I really think we should give it the time it
deserves,'' Simard said.

Winnipeg South Grit MP Reg Alcock, who supports the bill, said even if the
opposition was "half asleep they could delay this bill to the fall.''

And the Canadian Alliance is clearly taking aim at the bill.

"How can young people believe the minister's claims that drugs are harmful
when he is making it easier for them to use them?'' asked Alliance critic
Vic Toews (Provencher). "Why is the minister implementing a national drug
strategy that tells Canadian youth it is okay to use drugs?''

Winnipeg South Centre Liberal MP Anita Neville said it is too early to say
what will happen to the bill she backs.

A change in Liberal leadership is unlikely to change the government's view
of the need to decriminalize marijuana as all three contenders for
Chretien's job -- Paul Martin, Sheila Copps and Paul Martin -- support the
bill's intent.