ndp

Please join NDP members and riding associations from across the country in supporting our drug policy reform resolution at this year's federal NDP convention in Montreal. Visit the official NDP convention website www.montreal2013.ndp.ca/ for more on convention dates and times.

We feel that this resolution represents the best step forward in terms of clarifying and extending NDP cannabis (marijuana) policy for the future. Please see our resolution below, and contact Dana Larsen  (dana@danalarsen.com) or Nicole Seguin (nicole@endprohibition.ca) for more information.

Thanks, see you at the convention!

Resolution Read more »

BY TOBI COHEN, POSTMEDIA NEWS

ST JOHN’S — The NDP is out to start proving to Canadians this fall that it is indeed a bona fide government-in-waiting and a big part of that means demonstrating that it’s got a cabinet-ready team that can run the country.

New Democrats began gathering in St. John’s Tuesday to map out the party’s plan for the Parliamentary session — a new beginning, they say, since the party spent much of its first year dealing with the transition to official Opposition status with a large crop of neophyte MPs, the death of Jack Layton and the leadership race that followed.

During that time, people like environment critic Megan Leslie, ethics critic Charlie Angus and newly elected Quebec MP Alexandre Boulerice rose to the forefront. Read more »

By: Nigel Armstrong, The Guardian

The legacy of Jack Layton, the late leader of the federal NDP was in evidence Tuesday in Charlottetown.

The provincial NDP held a strawberry and ice cream social plus a barbecue for anyone to attend. It was the first such typical political summer social the party has held in many years.

"I do think we are reviving ourselves," said Andrew Want, president of the New Democratic Party of P.E.I. "We needed some reorganization, some restructuring and this is part of it, in order to revive ourselves." Read more »

By Dana Larsen

Some highlights from four decades of work by the New Democratic Party to end Canada's war on marijuana.

1971: NDP introduces bill to decriminalize marijuana possession after Liberals ignore the recommendations of the LeDain Commission Report.

1978: NDP Convention passes policy resolution calling for decriminalization of marijuana.

1980: NDP Leader Ed Broadbent calls for decriminalization of marijuana during the 1980 election campaign.

1993: NDP MP Jim Fulton introduces a bill to legalize marijuana in Canada. Liberal government votes it down.

1995: NDP tries to remove fines for possession of marijuana from the Liberals "decriminalization" bill. Liberals insist on large fines for possession, then fail to pass their own bill.

1996: NDP fights against the Liberal government's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The new law increases penalties, makes it easier to seize homes, and eliminates jury trials for marijuana trafficking.

1997: NDP Leader Alexa McDonough tells media "It is madness for young people to end up with criminal records for the simple possession of marijuana."

1998: All NDP MPs send a letter to the head of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, calling for an end to the global drug war.

1999: NDP Convention again passes policy resolution calling for decriminalization of marijuana. Read more »

CBC News

After the last federal election some observers felt the NDP had reached its peak based on the popularity of then-leader Jack Layton and the surprising success of the "orange wave" in Quebec.

Since then, the party has seen the death of Layton and a leadership campaign won by Thomas Mulcair, and recent polls have shown the NDP leading the federal Conservatives in national support.

What is happening with the NDP — is it turning into a possible national government alternative? How deep are these roots, and is there a spillover effect to its provincial fortunes?

"What's a bit of an eye-popper, is a recent poll that was completed by Environics Research on what is happening in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador," says Nik Nanos of Nanos Research. Read more »

By: ÉRIC GRENIER, Globe and Mail

Could the Rock be undergoing a political realignment of historic proportions? A new poll suggests that could be the case, as the New Democrats have made major gains at both the federal and provincial levels in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The telephone survey by Environics Research Group released late last week, which polled 1,000 residents of the province between June 19 and 29, indicates that the NDP is the voters’ party of choice -- particularly in and around St. John’s, the provincial capital. Read more »

** I was recently forwarded this letter from NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair which clarifies the party's stance on cannabis and drug policy reform. - Dana Larsen

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Thank you for writing. I appreciate having the benefits of your comments.

First, please know that the New Democratic Party of Canada is a truly democratic party and it is the membership at convention who debate and vote on the direction of the Party, including drug policy. For instance, at our June 2011 convention, delegates adopted a resolution supporting the harm-reduction work of Canada's safe injection site, InSite. Read more »

By: Nicole Seguin

This past weekend, May 5 and 6, was a busy weekend for the NDP across the country, as well as our new Leader Tom Mulcair. Both the BC NDP and the Federal Quebec Section held in-person provincial council meetings in Burnaby BC and Drummondville Qc, respectively. (Provincial council meetings are like mini-conventions where the council updates riding association delegates and observers about how things are going with party business, elections for unfilled positions on the council can be held, and delegates can put forward policy resolutions.)

Quebec is the only province without a provincial New Democratic Party, and thus the organization and work that usually happens through the provincial party Council, Executive and staff, happens through the Quebec Federal Section. Read more »

By Meagan Fitzpatrick, CBC News

The expected passage of the government's omnibus crime bill has been pushed back to Monday.

Debate on the bill is expected to continue in the House of Commons Friday, with a vote now slated for next week.

On Wednesday, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and associate defence minister Julian Fantino, a former police chief, held an event to tout Bill C-10 in anticipation of a final vote on the controversial proposals in the House of Commons.

They were joined by representatives from victims' groups at a community centre in Woodbridge, Ont., where Nicholson said the bill meets the expectations of Canadians and is responding to what is happening on Canada's streets. Read more »

By Jeremy Deutsch - Kamloops This Week

A recent letter signed by four former B.C. attorneys general calling for the legalization of cannabis appears to have support from both sides of the political spectrum in Kamloops.

Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Kevin Krueger said he respects and supports the decision by Premier Christy Clark to leave the issue up to the federal government, but personally agrees with the letter.

He compared the fight against marijuana to the battle Americans waged against alcohol in the 1920s.

It’s a battle he believes the country is losing. Read more »