Decriminalize pot now: NDP
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau smoked marijuana as an MP but he has not suffered the same consequences as Canadians who are slapped with simple pot charges, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said Tuesday —an example, he says, of "abject hypocrisy."
Mulcair took aim at Trudeau for his assertion that he wants to make things fairer for those facing pot-possession charges once marijuana becomes legal next year — a comment he made during a segment with Vice Canada on Monday.
The NDP has repeatedly called for an amnesty on charges for possessing small amounts of pot, but nothing has been done.
Trudeau doesn't seem to care about Canadians who face charges, even though a plan is in place to revoke the prohibition, Mulcair said during a news conference.
"When you're of that background and you're privileged and you've always had everything given to you and you are treated differently, that's what he is used to, isn't it?" he said.
"He doesn't find it at all abnormal that he can admit to smoking marijuana while he was a member of Parliament and at the same time say, 'The law is the law and you will be prosecuted if you smoke marijuana.'
He also conceded that other Canadians, including marginalized people, are treated unfairly in the legal system despite the fact "Canada is supposed to be fair for everybody."
The Conservatives pounced on that story Tuesday in a fundraising email to argue that Trudeau is a privileged elitist who is out of touch with ordinary Canadians.
"Once again, it's a case of one set of rules for the Trudeaus and another for the rest of Canada," the email said.
"Not having to worry about a drug charge because your dad will just 'take care of it.' Justin Trudeau is completely disconnected from the reality that most Canadians live in."
Earlier this month, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told The Canadian Press that blanket pardons for those with pot convictions is not "on the agenda at the moment."
Trudeau could move quickly to decriminalize marijuana but refuses to do so, Mulcair said Tuesday.
"Mr. Trudeau's lame answer is 'Oh, it is because organized crime would somehow be selling marijuana,"' Mulcair said.
"This just in: that's the case now. That was the case when Mr. Trudeau admitted he was smoking marijuana and that's going to be the case until the new system is in place, but that's not a reason to prosecute young people for smoking marijuana."
Anne-Marie McElroy, a criminal defence lawyer based in Ottawa said simple pot possession charges remain taxing for the legal system.
"It still requires a person attending court and going through the steps of having it prosecuted," she said.
Federal NDP pushes Trudeau to decriminalize weed following pot remarks - Politics - CBC News