WHO MAKES CANADA'S LAWS?

Regardless of how one feels about the issue of the legalization of
marijuana in Canada, the antics taking place around the issue should raise
alarm bells in any thinking person's brain - whether or not they've ever
smoked pot.

The bells aren't ringing because the government decided to decriminalize
possession of small amounts of pot in this country, or because they decided
to put this change on hold for a period of time.

What has our steeples ringing is the reason why they chose to put the
brakes on the legislation.

This week, Martin Cauchon travelled down to the United States of America
and ran the proposed decriminalization bill before representatives of the
government of that foreign country, prior even to presenting it in Canada's
House of Commons.

Worse still, immediately after returning to his home soil, he announced
that the bill wasn't ready to be presented and needed more work.

Oh really. We had always been of the opinion that the laws of this land
were made in this country, not in the United States.

Whether it be marijuana possession or any other law, we are of the firm
belief that domestic policy should be formed, debated and approved by the
representatives of the Canadian people, not by some foreign power - be it
the United States of America or anyone else.

Perhaps Mr. Cauchon is unaware that Canada remains a sovereign nation, one
that has not only the ability to make its own laws and policies, but the
responsibility to do so.

What really worries us is that this man was a representative of a
government which has fallen into disfavour with the Americans, and we have
to ask, if Paul Martin becomes the next Prime Minister of Canada, with his
avowed determination to cozy up to the United States, how much of our
domestic policy will really be dictated from Washington?