What is your stance on legalizing marijuana in Canada?
An NDP government will decriminalize marijuana the minute we get into government. I have dealt with thousands of cases and spent more than three decades in the frontlines of the courts dealing with drugs and the justice system. I have first-hand experience of the harms illegal drugs inflict on our communities. The so-called "war on drugs" has been a dismal failure and the approach of the Harper government is making it worse. Canadians are ready for change on the issue of marijuana - whether decriminalization, regulation, taxation, harm reduction, prevention, and public safety. We need a new approach. I am open to wide consultation and reforms. I will bring my experience and expertise to the table on the whole range of controlled drugs and substance, to create real solutions.