© News the other press e HellyParry e kelly-parry@telus.net February 25, 2004 Concordia U Student Runs for NDP Politics second nature for 20- year-old Daniel Seamus Quinn Martin Forgues The Link, Concordia University MONTREAL (CUP)—For Daniel Seamus Quinn—the 20- year-old Concordia University student who plans to run as a candidate for the New Democratic Party in the upcoming fed- eral election—politics is second nature. Quinn has been involved since he was 13, when he was first elected to his high school’s student council. What pushes a young man in his early 20s to run for Parliament? “One can’t be too young to be involved in poli- tics,” Quinn said. “I think it’s unfortunate that a lot of young people, especially those between 18 and 24, don't think poli- tics are interesting. Many of them don't vote.” As a matter of fact, 78 percent of them chose not to vote during last federal election. One of his goals is to convince young people that they can get involved in their country’s political process. “As a 20-year- old, I can do that. | can go speak to young people, and try to show them they too can have their interests represented in the House of Commons,” said Quinn. Quinn is clearly excited about running. He believes in his party’s chances of success. He is also very confident about his own chances. “T think I will be able to challenge the Liberals in the next election,” Quinn said. “I'll try to make it clear that this coun- try is a democracy, that their victory in the riding [Lac St- Louis] isn’t guaranteed, and that they'll have to defend their positions.” Quinn admits that Quebec’s support for the New Democratic Party has always been scarce. He says one of the reasons is the lack of a leader Quebec voters can identify with; also, few have been bilingual. This time, according to Quinn, things are different. “Support for the NDP is increasing on a daily basis,” Quinn said. “[NDP leader] Jack Layton is a terrific leader. He's intel- ligent, dynamic, he’s electable, and I think he appeals to a lot of Canadians.” Quinn thinks Layton, bilingual and born in Montreal, is an ideal leader for his party. “He has promised that he will spend more time in this province than any previous NDP leader. He can appeal to Quebecers, and I’m looking forward to see how he’s going to do when the election is called,” said Quinn. Quinn is worried about the younger generations’ waning interest in politics. He puts a lot of blame on the education system. “I think it fails to adequately teach students the basis of the Canadian Parliamentary system, and it fails to instill in them a sense of civic duty,” said Quinn. “We need to establish a new program that would teach students from an early age what the Canadian political system is,” he said. He considers young peoples’ lack of political knowledge to be dangerous. “They need to start thinking critically,” he said. “There are a lot of people who are manipulated by the mass media, corporations, people who seem to be more informed. If we teach them to think for themselves, they won't be as easy to manipulate by the powers that be,” he said. While he admits young people are key to his own platform, Quinn doesn’t want to alienate other age groups. “All Canadians have the right to participate in the political process,” he said. He mentioned that while only 22 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds went to the voting booth in 2000, more than 80 percent of people aged 58 and older group exercised their civic duty. Vision For Community- Based Governance Kelly Parry News Editor The Ministry of Children and Family Development and the Interim Authority for Community Living BC have reaf- firmed their commitment to a new com- munity-based approach to serving peo- ple with developmental disabilities and their families, after a meeting between Minister Christy Clark and officials of the ministry and the authority. At that meeting, the ministry and the Interim Authority discussed the imple- mentation deadlines recommended by a panel of experts in December 2003. They agreed that organizational issues need to be resolved to make the transfer of services achievable, and the June 2004 target date to transfer services should be revised. The Interim Authority has agreed that Bert Boyd, a member of the initial readi- ness panel, will recommend a revised timeline for devolution of service deliv- ery. His recommendations for a new transition plan will be delivered by February 27, 2004. All parties agreed that the foundation that is built for the new authority must be sound, so the health, safety and well-being of people who rely on these services are main- tained. The move to a new governance authority will improve the lives of thou- New Canadian Kelly Parry News Editor Welcome to Canada—Did you know... If you are a newcomer to Canada, you may be entitled to credit payments such as the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) or the goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit. To receive these credits, you have to report your income from all sources—both inside and _ outside Canada. Like all Canadians, you have the right and the responsibility to verify your income tax status each year. If you are a newcomer to Canada, visit and select “N” from the drop down menu for Newcomer to Canada. For further . information: visit Bees Page 4 e _hittp://www.otherpress.ca Krista Zunde OP Contributor Canada’s marijuana crop is estimated at four to seven billion. If controlled by a single company, it would be larger than Canada’s oil, gas and agricultural indus- tries. On October 7, 2003, the Ontario Superior Court ruled that businesses and individuals be allowed to grow and supply medical marijuana. Amigula Inc. has capitalized upon this ruling, by buying 51 percent of Medical Cannabis Inc., and opening the door for the public to invest in med- ical marijuana. Amigula Inc. plans to list on a major exchange beginning with the American Stock Exchange, with hopes to expand to several European exchanges. “What is unique about this business proposal is that, as a public company, everyone now has a legal way to poten- tially make money in a budding mari- juana industry,” commented Warren Eugene, President of Amigula Inc. Health Canada estimates that 400,000 Canadians may require med- ical marijuana. Amigula Inc. has high hopes of capturing about ten percent of the market in Canada—40,000 patients at an average of $1000 per patient, sands of vulnerable people and their families. Consultation with more than 2,000 affected people and organizations showed broad support for community- based governance as a system that will be more flexible, less costly, and sustainable in the long term, while giving people with developmental disabilities more control over their own lives. British Columbia has received Canada-wide and international recognition for its innovative approach to supporting vul- nerable people and their families. per year. “Our company assists individuals with their applications for this therapy with Health Canada. The public may sign an advance purchase form on our web site at and apply to Health Canada. If Health Canada gives people permission to have medical marijuana—then we will have it available for them,” Eugene stated. Amigula company spokesperson, Hilton Mojovick added, “It would make good economic and political sense to regulate and tax marijuana as they do tobacco and alcohol. There is a huge untapped tax base available to pay down deficits, to properly fund social initiatives such as the ailing school sys- tem, homelessness, the arts, sports and contribute to the overall good of Canadians.” He estimates a potential profit of $900 million per year in tax revenue. Additionally, the Canadian govern- ment, as of this month, may seek to approve Bill C-38, which would insure that Canadians have the right to possess up to 15 grams of non-medical mari- juana.