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February 12/04 CTV
Ottawa reintroducing bills, including pot law
CTV.ca News Staff
The federal government is expected to reintroduce eight bills today, including the decriminalization of marijuana and easing patent laws to allow cheaper AIDS drugs to poorer countries.
The AIDS bill, was an initiative started by former prime minister Jean Chretien in the last year of his term.
Prime Minister Paul Martin has vowed to push through that bill, and in a nod to his predecessor said he would call it The Jean Chretien Pledge to Africa Act.
The marijuana bill, which proposes to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of pot while increasing penalties for growers, has caused much controversy.
Critics fear it sends the wrong message about drug use to young people. They also wonder how police would assess those who drive high.
Previous versions of the bills died when Martin took over as prime minister from Chretien in December. The bills will be reintroduced at the same parliamentary stage they were at when they died.
On Wednesday, the Liberals reintroduced five legislative bills, including a ban on human cloning.
The anti-cloning bill outlaws human cloning, but allows stem cell research on embryos. It also bans procedures such as sex selection, commercial surrogate motherhood contracts, and the sale of sperm and eggs.
The legislation passed in the House of Commons by a vote of 149 to 109. However, it's unclear whether it will pass in the upper chamber before an expected spring election.
Several pro-life MPs in every party except the NDP joined to vote against the bill. The Bloc Quebecois said it infringes on provincial responsibility.
Bills reintroduced Wednesday also include the redrawing of boundaries and the creation of an independent ethics counsellor for the House of Commons.
The proposal for an independent ethics counsellor is being brought back just days after Auditor General Sheila Fraser found massive misspending in the federal sponsorship program.