The petty, hateful nature of the Harper government
su...@hate2010.games
over and over again, to have saved lives, reduced medical problems and saved the taxpayers
of BC money. And yet, the petty, fundamentalist, mean-spirited federal government we know
as the Harper Cons are trying to sell this last bit of petty mean-spirit politics as
'getting tough on crime'.
You don't 'get tough on crime' by letting drug addicts fend for themselves at the cost of
taxpayer security and cost. And you don't 'get tough on crime' by pro-roguing government
and killing over a dozen Bills that were supposedly addressing crime in Canada. You
stink, Harper. Have a nice time at OUR tax-funded Games.
______________________________________________
Vancouver Sun - February 9, 2010
Ottawa goes to court to kill B.C.'s safe-injection site
A client administers drugs at Insite, a safe injection site on Hastings Street in
Vancouver. Photograph by: Handout photo,
OTTAWA - The federal government plans to ask the Supreme Court of Canada to overturn a
B.C. ruling that allowed a safe-injection site to remain open, Justice Minister Rob
Nicholson said Tuesday.
On Jan. 15, the B.C. Court of Appeal dismissed the government's appeal, which allowed
Insite, North America's only supervised injection site, to remain open.
"We recognize that injection drug users need assistance," said Nicholson. "This is why our
National Anti-Drug strategy focuses on prevention and access to treatment for those with
drug dependencies."
He said the government's policy aim is to get tough on "drug dealers and producers who
threaten the safety of our children and communities.
"Our message is clear: If you sell or produce drugs, you will face jail time," said the
minister.
Nicholson said the case has brought up jurisdictional issues between the provincial and
federal governments and therefore needs clarification from the Supreme Court.
Insite originally opened in 2003 under a temporary exemption to national drug laws.
When the exemption was due to expire in 2008, Justice Ian Pitfield of the B.C. Supreme
Court struck down sections of Canada's drug laws as unconstitutional and granted the
facility a permanent exemption.
The ruling indicated that closing a health care service that can prevent death and the
transmission of infectious disease goes against the right to life and security that are
outlined in the charter of rights.
The B.C. appeal court ruled health care services provided at Insite are a provincial, not
federal, responsibility, so the court found it was unnecessary to rule on the facility's
constitutional right to exist.
The ruling upheld Pitfield's trial decision.
Mark Townsend, executive director of the Portland Hotel Society Community Services, which
runs Insite with Vancouver Coastal Health, said he was disappointed by Ottawa's plan to
appeal.
"The courts have now ruled twice in favour of Insite," he said. "We wish (Prime Minister)
Stephen Harper would stop wasting court time and the taxpayers' money and start helping to
solve the drug problem in our community."
Since Insite opened in 2003, there have been more than 40 peer-reviewed academic papers,
reports and studies published in scientific medical journals verifying Insite's success.
The reports concluded Insite prevents overdose deaths, limits the spread of disease,
reduces public disorder and moves more people into detox and addiction treatment, while
saving taxpayer dollars.
In 2008, the Portland Hotel Society and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users launched
a constitutional challenge of the federal government's power to close the facility,
arguing the site, in the long term, saves lives and taxpayer money.
========================================================================================
"If Ottawa giveth, then Ottawa can taketh away." -
Stephen Harper
Robert MacKenzie
<su...@hate2010.games> wrote in message
news:rLkcn.141967$kQ5....@newsfe08.iad...
> Another example of it surfaces in today's press. This is a facility that
> has been proven, over and over again, to have saved lives, reduced medical
> problems and saved the taxpayers of BC money. And yet, the petty,
> fundamentalist, mean-spirited federal government we know as the Harper
> Cons are trying to sell this last bit of petty mean-spirit politics as
> 'getting tough on crime'.
>
> You don't 'get tough on crime' by letting drug addicts fend for themselves
> at the cost of taxpayer security and cost. And you don't 'get tough on
> crime' by pro-roguing government and killing over a dozen Bills that were
> supposedly addressing crime in Canada. You stink, Harper. Have a nice
> time at OUR tax-funded Games.
No, you get tough on crime by going after the drug dealers - something that
the protestors haven't got the courage to do.
You also get tough on crime to reduce the dependency on drugs. Something the
protestors won't get involved in.
You're also forgetting one thing. Those bills are not permanently dead. They
can be reintroduced into Parliament.
and isn't interesting that facilities such as inSite exist, yet diabetics
have to pay 100% for their insulin needles and so forth.
and yes we ALL provided for the Games. Not just those who are opposed.
simplicity
> <s...@hate2010.games> wrote in message
She should demand the authorities to go after drug pushers. She should
demand more action on tracking them and sentences that would
permanently elliminate them from the society.
She should demand more detox and rehabilitation centres. Drug
addiction is curable.
Instead, she demands that we make drug use de facto legal. She does
not give a damn about druggie dying from the OD as long as he/she does
not die of HIV.
What does this tell you about her?
Robert MacKenzie
"simplicity" <stella...@live.ca> wrote in message
news:0c0877b8-057d-42ab...@b35g2000vbc.googlegroups.com...
Tell me she doesn't do much of anything useful, and yet squeals like a stuck
pig on this issue.