(Peterborough, ON) Dean Del Mastro, Member of Parliament for Peterborough, is disappointed to learn that the “Cottonelle Crusader” a.k.a the Liberal face for soft-on-crime MP Mark Holland will be touting the Liberal flip-flop opposition to Bill S-10 (Penalties for Organized Drug Crime Act) during his visit to the City tomorrow.

On October 4, 2007, the Government of Canada introduced its National Anti-Drug Strategy.  At that time, funding in the amount of approximately $64 million was provided in three areas: prevention, treatment and enforcement.  As a complement to drug prevention and treatment efforts, the Enforcement Action Plan is intended to bolster law enforcement efforts and the capacity to combat effectively marihuana grow operations and synthetic drug production and distribution operations.  One part of the plan is ensuring that strong and adequate penalties are in place for serious drug crimes.  Bill S-10 can be seen as an implementation of the enforcement aspect of the Anti-Drug Strategy in legislative form.

Bill S-10 seeks to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to provide for minimum penalties for serious drug offences, such as dealing drugs for organized crime purposes or when a weapon or violence is involved.  Currently, there are no mandatory minimum penalties under the CDSA.  The proposed changes to the legislation are intended to help disrupt criminal enterprises by targeting drug suppliers.

“I am disappointed - but not surprised that MP Holland and his Liberal colleagues are opposed to seeing persons selling drugs to children and distributing date rape drugs in Peterborough serve a just prison sentence for their crime.” stated MP Del Mastro.  “Having previously supported an earlier version of this Bill, I had hoped they would act in the best interest of all communities across Canada including Peterborough.”

The results of the Canadian Addiction Survey (2004) showed an increase in the self-reported rates of use of illicit drugs over the decade from 1994 to 2004, a direct reflection of the failed Liberal policies of the time.

Measured in terms of the burden on services such as health care and law enforcement, and the loss of productivity in the workplace or at home resulting from premature death and disability, the overall cost of substance abuse in Canada in 2002 was estimated to be $39.8 billion.

“I hope that while MP Holland is in town that he will actually listen to representatives of the policing community that will provide him with some hard facts on the impact of drug dealers who continue to hurt so many people in Peterborough.” said MP Del Mastro.  “Sadly, today there are more methadone clinics in Peterborough than medical walk-in clinics while drug addiction is ruining the lives of young people and driving crime rates in other areas throughout the Region.”