| Sep 18, 2013


MP Scott Reid has a bit more time available these days than he normally would at this time of year because Parliament has been prorogued.

In what might seem an odd coincidence to some, he is using some of that time to work on what he describes as his major political passion, promoting democracy.

As Scott Reid told a room full of grade 10 students at Granite Ridge Education Centre (GREC) on Tuesday, Sept. 17, Canada does not use the form of democracy that he most favours. He prefers the way the Swiss govern themselves, pointing out that while in Canada citizens vote in a government once every few years, in Switzerland major public issues are settled through referenda. In 2010 Switzerland held six of them; in 2011 only one; in 2012, twelve; and by the time 2013 is finished there will have been nine.

Scott Reid’s comments came about as part of an exercise in democracy organized by GREC teacher Randy McVety. The students were presented with a proposal, and then asked to move their chairs to one of four corners of the room, the far left if they were strongly opposed, left if they were just opposed, right if they were in favour, and far right if they were strongly in favour. For the purposes of the exercises, two votes were cast for the more emphatic responses, and one for the more moderate.

But before counting the votes up, the students were invited to say why they had chosen as they had, and a moderated discussion took place. Then Scott Reid went to the corner that represented his vote on the matter and made his case.

The question that precipitated his comments about Switzerland had to do with the minimum voting age in Canada. By a significant, though not overwhelming, majority, the 15 and 16-year-old GREC students supported lowering the voting age to 16.

Students in favour of the change argued that the driving age is 16, and if someone is deemed capable of driving, why not let them vote. As well, they thought that lowering the voting age would help entrench the habit of voting. Another student argued that since voting takes place once every four years, a 17-year-old who is not eligible for the vote has to live with the consequences of the result while they are 18, 19, and 20.

Scott Reid was moderately in favour of the status quo, noting that it is consistent with the age that people are eligible to join military.

The other proposal that was bought forward was about marijuana laws.

For this question, Randy McVety had those students who favour full legalization of marijuana, so that it will be produced and sold in much he same way liquor is now, to sit in the strongly in favour section; those who support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana were to sit in the in favour section; and those who support the current laws were to sit in the opposed or strongly opposed sections.

The largest group of students sat in the strongly opposed section, although a number of students sat in the strongly in favour sections as well.

A wide-ranging, animated debate ensued, with some students arguing that marijuana is safe; others that it is dangerous; some saying it is a gateway drug to more dangerous drugs; some saying the current state of affairs is unworkable and should be scrapped; and some calling for more enforcement.

When it came to his turn, Scott Reid bounded down to sit with those in favour of full legalization.

He then took the stage and asked the students to name two things that Barack Obama, George Bush Jr. and Bill Clinton have in common.

“They have all been US presidents, and they have all admitted to smoking marijuana, and they all oppose legalizing marijuana,” Reid said. “I’ve never smoked marijuana, or cigarettes, but I favour legalization.”

Reid went further, saying that drug policies in North America are illogical, wrongheaded, and inconsistent.

“Let’s talk about gateway drugs and dangerous drugs,” Reid added. “The most significant gateway drug is cigarettes, and the drug that does the most damage is alcohol, and they are both legal, and should be in my view.”
He pointed out that an attempt was made to make alcohol illegal, “and it was a disaster.”

On this issue, Scott Reid differed from not only the majority of the students in the room, but with his own Conservative Party as well, which he pointed out has toughened the penalty for possession of marijuana.

“I was the only one in my party who voted against that legislation,” he said.

Reid may have been in the minority at GREC and a lonely figure in his own party, but his views are supported by the many across the country. Polls in recent years have consistently shown that a solid majority of Canadians, up to 66% or more, favour decriminalization of marijuana, and a slim majority favour legalization. And it is not the youth vote that drives these results. Thirty-five to 54-year-olds are as strongly in favour of change as are those under 35.

Using the weighted vote system, Randy McVety determined there were 42 votes in favour of the status quo and 36 for either decriminalization or legalization.

Scott Reid then spent the rest of the morning in smaller classroom settings at Granite Ridge Education Centre.

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