Senator Larry Campbell (Liberal-British Columbia) is the former mayor of Vancouver, a former RCMP drug squad officer, and, as BC's chief coroner, was thought to be the model for the TV series Da Vinci's Inquest. In an op-ed piece in today's Vancouver Sun, Campbell aims at the Harper government's initiatives to increase punishments for offenders of Canada's drug crime laws. (Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, incidentally, is in Halifax for an as-yet-unknown anti-crime announcement). Campbell says the government's moves on the justice file defy logic:
Is there really anyone anywhere in Canada who believes that U.S. drug policies are working? Or that they are deserving of being copied here?
This is the direction Prime Minister Stephen Harper would have us go.
More prisons and more people in prisons has not worked for our southern neighbours, and there is no logic behind the move to increase criminal penalties for drugs…
…Minimum sentences for non-violent offenders may play well with a hang 'em high crowd, but it will do nothing to solve drug problems in this country.
The Conservatives have spread their “big lie” for so long that they have begun to believe it, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. We should be putting our efforts into increased treatment for addiction, education and increased medical treatment for those with mental disabilities. We should also legalize marijuana in this country to keep the profits from being funnelled into criminal hands. …
[Read the rest of Campbell's op-ed piece]
I think Campbell is more than just thought to have been the model for the show Da Vinci's Inquest.
He says himself that he worked with the creators of the show and actually helped write some episodes.