talkcanada

By. Charles W. Moore, Telegraph Journal

A Stephen Harper fan and supporter, I applaud his foray into new media on YouTube last week answering a selection chosen by Google/YouTube producers from 1.800-odd questions pre-submitted by the online video service's users.

However, I disagree with the prime minister's take on the dominant topic addressed - marijuana legalization - which he categorically dismissed, affirming he's personally been fortunate to live a drug-free life, and as a parent, drug use is the last thing he'd want for his own or anyone else's children.

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By DAVE BREAKENRIDGE, QMI Agency

In the grand scheme of things, marijuana policy isn’t likely to bring about a change of government.

Despite surveys showing a majority of Canadians approve legalizing possession of small amounts of pot, the law isn’t changing any time soon.

But that hasn’t stopped advocates from pressuring the prime minister on the subject, nor has it prohibited, pardon the pun, Stephen Harper from sounding like an early-1900s social reformer trying to ban the demon drink.

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Prime Minister’s views on crime and climate change fare well, but public disagrees with him on drug legalization and the current state of the Senate.

Some of the statements made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in his recent YouTube appearance are supported by a majority of Canadians while others did not resonate with a large proportion of the population, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

The online survey of a representative national sample of 1,008 Canadians asked respondents to say whether they agreed or disagreed with seven statements that were made by Harper during his 40-minute YouTube interview. Respondents were shown the statements but were not informed that the Prime Minister himself had voiced those views.

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By. Dan Arnold, National Post

Michael Ignatieff shows he can relate to the kids these days:

"If I had to tell you as a parent or as someone who has spent his whole life working with young people, the last darn thing I want you to be doing is smoking marijuana," the federal Liberal leader said.

"I want you to be out there digging a well, digging a ditch, getting a job, raising a family ... doing stuff, instead of parking your life on the end of a marijuana cigarette."

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by Hugh MacIntyre

Lots of to do was made about there being a marijuana question on the list of questions Stephen Harper would answer in his “YouTube interview.” Personally I don’t find that shocking at all, and I am a little bit amused by the moderator’s apologetic tone. Really this is an issue that affects more Canadians than the seal hunt. So it is not surprising that Canadians care about it.

Here is the question:

A majority of Canadians, when polled, say they believe marijuana should be legal for adults, just like alcohol. Why don’t you end the war on drugs and focus on violent criminals?

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper has thrown down a challenge to millions of computer savvy Canadians, inviting their questions through the medium of YouTube. And Canadians have complied, throwing a horde of complaints, quizzes and diatribes at the Prime Minister, on topics ranging from climate change to prorogation. Perhaps surprisingly, the most common questions focus on his government’s approach to the control of marijuana. We will hear from the Prime Minister on Tuesday, but I thought it might be helpful to provide him with a little advice before he puts his fingers to the keyboard. Here are two of the more popular questions, and my suggested responses.

“Mr. Harper. Why aren’t we keeping marijuana away from children by controlling it as we control alcohol and tobacco? Why are we encouraging gangs & crime by making marijuana so profitable? Why are you ignoring how ineffectual the current policy is?

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By. Richard J. Brennan, Toronto Star

OTTAWA–As Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke to Canadians "unfiltered" in his first YouTube appearance, viewers talked back, weighing in online with hundreds of questions ranging from the legalization of marijuana to his inability to get a majority.

"You couldn't get a majority against the weak (former prime minister Paul) Martin or the lame duck (former Liberal leader Stéphane) Dion, & polls show you would also fail vs the foreigner (Michael) Ignatieff," one viewer wrote.

"When are you going to step down and let a real leader win a majority for the good of the party & the country?"

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Until Sunday, March 14th, the public will have the ability both to submit a question and to rank all of the questions submitted. The questions are not edited, so the whole process lacks the protection usually afforded by the mainstream media: Harper faces questions that concern the public, rather than questions designed to highlight the concerns or agendas of media interests.

The most shocking result, so far: all three of the three most popular questions so far – by a landslide – all deal with…cannabis legalization. I reproduce, below, the top three questions and their rankings (as of 6:05 PM on March 11, 2010), together with the fourth, which is not cannabis related.

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