Canada gets interesting

Naomi Klein is supporting her country today, with a praising of the introduction of some liberal laws that she says make Canada a hippie nation.

· The Liberal party government of prime minister Jean Chrétien did not support the invasion of Iraq (“opposed” would be too strong a word, since we maintained troops in the region).
· On May 27 the government introduced legislation to decriminalise the possession of marijuana. People caught with up to 15g will get the equivalent of a parking ticket. US drug tsar John Walters has promised to “respond to the threat”.
· On June 17 the government announced it would introduce legislation to legalise gay marriage. This will bring the entire country into compliance with a court ruling that has already made it legal in Ontario. US gays and lesbians have been flooding into Toronto to get hitched.
· On June 24 the government announced the opening of the first “safe injection site” in North America in Vancouver, which averages 147 overdose deaths a year. The publicly funded facility will provide needle exchanges and health assistance to heroin addicts. Walters calls this one “state-sponsored personal suicide”.

America seems to be watching them closely.