FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Mar 8

As a Canadian, How Are We Supposed to React to Donald Trump?

by bcurry

The border treaty Donald Trump recently referred to was established in 1908 and finalized the international boundary between Canada, then a British dominion, and the U.S.  Trump also mentioned revisiting the sharing of lakes and rivers between the two nations, which is regulated by a number of treaties.  For years, both Canada and the U.S. have shared responsibility and resources in managing border security and environmental concerns surrounding the Great Lakes in particular.  For example, the Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement signed by Canada and the U.S. in 1991 to address transboundary air pollution leading to acid rain.  Both countries agreed to reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, the primary precursors to acid rain, and to work together on acid rain-related scientific and technical cooperation.  The Ozone Annex was added to the Agreement in 2000 to address transboundary air pollution leading to high ambient levels of ground-level ozone, a major component of smog.  One result was that, as of 2020, emissions of sulphur dioxide in Canada and the U.S. decreased by 78% and 92%, respectively, from 1990 emission levels.  This preserved our water quality and in turn the health of our fish stocks in shared waters and in general.

As far as border security is concerned, this is a red herring put out there by Donald Trump.  As it stands, for sometime now, only less than one percent of the fentanyl comes across the border from Canada, as per the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  Under the other hand, the Royal Canadian Mounted Policy (RCMP) estimates that over 80% of all guns used in violent crimes in Canada originate in the U.S.

According to the New York Times (March 7, 2025), Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick stated that Trump wants to abandon our treaties and he wants to:

  • eject Canada out of an intelligence-sharing group known as the Five Eyes that also includes Britain, Australia and New Zealand,
  • tear up the Great Lakes agreements and conventions between the two nations that lay out how they share and manage Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario, and
  • review and reconsider military cooperation between the two countries, particularly the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

We already know that Trump is interested in having access to Canada’s abundance of critical mineral rights as noted in my previous blog of February 17, 2005: Trump’s Trade Policy Appears to be Directed at Securing Critical Mineral Rights | FROLITICKS. 

With his recent flip flopping on the proposed 25 percent tariffs against all Canadian exports to the U.S., it’s hard to get a reading on where Trump’s next move will go.  All that his administration is doing is creating a hell of a lot of global and economic uncertainty.  His expectation that Canadians would be cow towing to his wishes is way off.  If anything, he has generated an immense amount of Canadian pride across this country.  Canadians see these attacks on our sovereignty as an insult, especially from a nation that was a trusted friend and ally.  All in all, it’s difficult to know exactly what Trump’s expectations are!  Just how are Canadians supposed to react differently?  Your guess is as good as mine!

Canada Donald Trump Foreign Policy Foreign Policy Protectionist Trade Policies Trade with U.S. Trading Relationships U.S. Canada Border US US.-Canada Relations War on Drugs

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Oct 9

Is National Legalization of Cannabis on the Horizon in the U.S.?

by bcurry

This past week, President Joe Biden pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of simple possession of marijuana.  What’s more interesting, Biden announced that he has instructed Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick Garland to begin reviewing how marijuana is classified under federal drug laws.  Marijuana, also referred to as pot or weed, is currently a Schedule 1 substance under federal drug sentencing guidelines, the same as heroin and LSD.

The President’s move could be a first step in moving toward the federal government’s legalization of marijuana use for recreational and other purposes.  The issue leads us back to the legalization of marijuana by the Canada’s federal government in October 2018.  At the time, the new law made Canada the second country in the world after Uruguay to legalize cannabis.  In addition, on the day cannabis became legal, the Canadian government announced that it would introduce new legislation allowing people charged in the past with “simple possession” to apply for a pardon with no fee or waiting period.  By 2018, recreational cannabis was also legal for adults in nine U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and 30 states had government-sanctioned medical cannabis programs.  Today,19 states have passed recreational cannabis laws.

In both countries, there have been far too many persons who have ended up in prison for the simple possession of pot.  According to one study, as many as 500,000 Canadians may possess a criminal record for cannabis possession.  Their convictions hamper their ability to travel (most notably to the U.S), apply for jobs and volunteer with charities.  By some reported estimates in the U.S., there are nearly 5,000 laws on the books which bar people with past convictions from most of the necessities of life like housing, loans, work, and access to government services.  In both countries, arrests for cannabis possession particularly affected marginalized groups, disproportionately impacting people of color and low-income communities. 

Measuring whether the legalization of pot increased its consumption in Canada is difficult to ascertain.  Prior to 2018, most recreational pot users would not have declared their illegal possession and use, except in cases of medical cannabis use.  However, a Statistics Canada study based on data from the National Cannabis Survey showed that the prevalence of cannabis use has been increasing since its legalization in October 2018.  In fact, cannabis use in the year before the survey increased among Canadians aged 15 and older, from 15% in 2017 to 21% in 2019, for both men (from 19% to 23%) and women (from 11% to 19%).  It is believed that increased social acceptance of cannabis, and the increased number of outlets and range of products available were among the factors thought to have led to increased consumption.  In addition, cannabis can now be added to foods and drinks.  There is also some speculation that the COVID pandemic may have contributed to increased cannabis consumption due to the associated social and economic upheavals it caused over the past two years.

With the legalization of cannabis, Canada also introduced numerous regulations concerning its sale, production and distribution.  The Cannabis Act created new criminal offences for the sale of cannabis to youth — with penalties of up to 14 years in prison.  It also prohibits “illicit” cannabis of unlicensed producers, sellers and distributors.  Much like tobacco and alcohol, government regulations for growing and selling cannabis include standards for labelling and packaging.  Every package must be plain, without additional imagery besides brand name and logo.  Packages must also include a standardized cannabis symbol, a health warning and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration levels.  The government also established the tax rate for cannabis, to be split by the federal and provincial governments.  Of course, the government wanted a cut of the lucrative legalized cannabis action.  So far, the regulated cannabis industry appears to be working well, ensuring the control, quality and safety of the product sold.

It may be useful for the U.S. to examine the impact of Canada’s legalization of cannabis as part of its planned review of marijuana’s classification under federal drug laws.  The federal government may also want to get into alignment with legalization actions already taken by 19 of its states.

Canada Marijuana Usage Marijuana Use US War on Drugs

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Jun 8

When It Comes To Violent Crime In North America, All Is Not Well

by bcurry

The recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas, and multiple shootings across the U.S. this past month, have once again raised the anger of Americans on both sides of the political spectrum.  The Democrats are being attacked by Republicans for being soft on crime and the Republicans are being accused of blocking proposed measures to restrict the sale and ownership of guns.  In Canada, the federal government has introduced legislation to further restrict access to handguns, including stopping the illegal trafficking of guns across the border with the U.S.  As recent polls have indicated, there is little doubt that Americans are feeling increasingly less safe.  With an increase in gun violence in some of Canada’s largest cities, Canadians are not far behind in their perception of growing violent crime.

The fact of the matter is that the issue of violent crime, like other social-economic issues, is a divisive one no matter how you look at it.  Conservatives will accuse liberals of letting criminals off the hook, while liberals will declare that conservatives have no other policy than putting everyone in prisons and increasing police powers.  Police shootings have also garnered the attention of both political groups, especially in the U.S.  Now, there is at least a belief that the police have to find better ways to deal with persons with mental health conditions and members of minority groups, incorporating social and health services available in the community.  There is also a need to deal differently with drugs and drug addicts, recognizing that addiction is a health issue and should be dealt with accordingly, especially in light of the current epidemic of overdoses in both countries.

Radicalization of youth, especially young men, has increasingly become a source of violent behaviour, often associated with hate crimes.  More needs to be done to deal with the spread of hate literature, disinformation and conspiracy theories over social media.  Surely, both conservatives and liberals can agree that more education has to be available and supported to prevent such influences.  The current division of beliefs and values based on racial, ethnic, religious and sexual orientation has to be dealt with in no uncertain terms.  The situation is eating away at the very core of our democratic societies.

There are no easy solutions to dealing with violent crime as a social issue.  Many factors have to be considered, including socio-economic matters.  Unemployment is a major one, wherein people are prevented from making a living wage and securing affordable housing.  Increased opportunities for an education aimed at preparing people to enter the labour market with applicable skills and attributes is another issue.  Communities need to be encouraged and supported in order to develop local initiatives aimed at reducing criminal activities.  Improvements have to be made to increase timely access to mental health and social services at the community level.  Localized addiction programs have to be improved, with the aim of tackling drug problems and preventing their associated health issues and fatalities.

Whether taking a hard-line approach or preferring a more progressive approach, neither alone offers one-size-fits-all solutions.  A multi-approach strategy is what is required, and political sloganeering is not going to do anyone any good.  Simply de-funding the police in support of promoting social measures is not the answer.  Retraining and re-educating the police in how to better deal with such issues as domestic violence, racism and mental disabilities would appear to be a much better idea.  In Canada, several municipal mayors have called on the federal government to ban the possession of handguns.  However, despite Canada’s already strict handgun control measures, there continues to be violent crimes committed with the use of illegal or stolen handguns.  Members of drug gangs and radical factions have little problems in accessing such weapons.  One day our prisons will be overflowing with their convicted felons.

Until we deal with the underlying socio-economic factors in both countries, one can only conclude that we will see increased waves of violent crime.  This outcome doesn’t depend on whether you have conservative or liberal governments.

Canada Gun Control Gun Control Gun Laws Race Relations US US Politics War on Drugs

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Apr 25

Hi To Getting Legally High On Pot

by bcurry

Well, Canada’s recently elected Liberal national government just announced that it plans to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in 2017. Canada already allows for the growing, distribution and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.  Now, our governing members of Parliament will be able smoke their pot on the steps of our hallowed institution.  Indeed, last week an estimated 5,000 people toked up on Parliament Hill as an annual part of 4/20 across the country.

More and more jurisdictions are allowing their citizens to toke up across the Americas. Today, people are free to smoke marijuana in four U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and medical marijuana is allowed in almost half the U.S. Uruguay has fully legalized weed for sale. A large chunk of South and Central America, including Brazil, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Costa Rica, have made marijuana more available in varying ways, whether it is for medicinal or recreational use.  Even Mexico has recently gotten into the act by loosening its laws on the possession of marijuana for personal use.

The real question in Canada is why it’s going to take a whole year to legalize the recreational use of pot. There are plenty of distribution systems in place already to replicate.  The provinces would only be too happy to reap in extra revenues from the sale of pot.  Smoke it, toke it, vape it, eat it — marijuana is going mainstream. In past surveys, the vast majority of Canadians supported either complete legalization or decriminalization for possession of small amounts.  Hell, pot was around and readily available when I was in college in the early seventies.  Like a lot of our more celebrated citizens, a good number of us experimented with pot in our youth.  Most of us boomers really don’t see what the fuss is all about.

With all the other more important issues — climate change, recessions, terrorism, gun violence — you’d think that we’d have more pressing concerns to worry about. Indeed, maybe toking up might help some of us to cope with many of these serious societal concerns.  Like alcohol and tobacco, societies have established reasonable means to controlling their access and use, particularly by our youth.  The debate about the merits of legalizing marijuana use is finished.  Governments now need to get on with implementing timely measures necessary to control its use just like it does for other legal substances.

Canada Uncategorized War on Drugs

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May 2

The Rob Ford Case — What You Need to Know About Addiction

by bcurry

O.K. — So the mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, apparently has finally conceded after months, if not years, that he is an addict. Off he went hastily in a private jet to a “rehab centre”, possibly in the Chicago area. Mayor Ford has taken a leave of absence from his position, announcing that he would withdraw from the current mayoral campaign for at least 30 days in order to get much-needed professional help.

Now let us recap. The mayor has a drinking problem. He is prone to lying and denial, particularly about his alcoholic abuse. When in one of his drunken stupors, he is often out of control and prone to incoherence, profanity and aggression. He admittedly has also smoked crack cocaine, and has done so recently. And through all of this, the addict Rob Ford became an international celebrity, even appearing on talk shows in the U.S. Go figure?

While this so-called political scandal has been greatly sensationalized by the mass media, the story has left out one crucial element. Addiction and substance abuse affects a hell of a lot people in our society. The results from all addictions far too often lead to personal tragedies, including death, and have enormous social consequences for us all. As a society, we have not done very well at treating persons with addictions. Not everyone can afford, like Rob Ford and Hollywood celebrities, to enter a private rehab program. Affordable services for the treatment of addictions, like health services for mental illnesses, are inadequate for most individuals and families. Indeed, addiction and mental health issues often go hand in hand.

Once an addict, always an addict. Whether it is alcohol, prescription pain killers or illicit drugs, an addiction cannot be remedied in 30 days. To be successful in simply controlling one’s addiction, months and years of continuous abstinence and community support are required. There will always be certain stressors that can cause someone to fall off the wagon. Addiction is certainly no joking matter. Treating Rob Ford’s condition as some kind of a joke does a disservice to understanding the severity of the problem in our society. Too many people, not only his drug pushers and family, have contributed to his failure to recognize and deal with his addiction. Now that he has taken the first important step — that of acknowledging his medical condition for what it is — let’s stop the circus train. Give him his privacy during the next several months, and let his family and friends provide him with the essential support that he will desperately need.

War on Drugs

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Apr 18

Politicians and Illicit Drugs Don’t Mix

by bcurry

For decades now, governments in the U.S. and Canada have called it the “war on drugs”.  During that time, North American societies have been steadily loosing the war.  Oh, once and awhile the authorities will declare publicly that they have won a battle or two with splashy media announcements about some large drug bust — all the while privately admitting that such seizures realistically represent only the tip of the iceberg.  Still, politicians ramble on that putting all the illicit drug pushers in jail will resolve everything.  Last fall, the Canadian Government’s new drug laws came into force. The measures, part of the so-called Safe Streets and Communities Act, provide for a mandatory six-month jail term for growing as few as six marijuana plants.  Hell, I knew a guy in college who would use this amount alone as his personal stash just to help keep away the heebie-jeebies while in school. 

We all can agree that the many consequences of substance abuse are tragic, including those leading to incidences of violence, including child abuse, spousal abuse, homicides, rape, suicide, and close to 100% of date rapes.  Indeed, if you compare the illegal drugs to prescription drugs and alcohol, a lot more people die today from prescription drug and alcohol abuse.  Our crowded prisons are already full of persons incarcerated for crimes committed while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.  Some have estimated that eighty percent of kids in the juvenile justice system are there because of problems related to substance abuse.  Yet politicians, in their usual myopic way of short-term thinking, still turn to the ineffectual use of mandatory sentencing. 

On the other hand, some might argue that substance abuse and addiction are symptomatic of an increasingly sick society; one in which such factors as poverty, inequality of opportunity, illiteracy, high unemployment, homelessness, etc., etc., are pervasive.  As in other areas of social policy, some would see a greater need to tackle many of the underlying causes by applying our limited resources and commitments to seriously addressing these socio-economic issues.  There is also a desperate need for more treatment facilities, particularly those designed to treat juveniles and assist affected families.  An estimated 9 out of 10 drug addicts start substance abuse before the age of 18.  Addiction is a disease, it is both preventable and treatable.  If only we could get the politicians, national and local, to recognize this fact.  We just might then begin the long process required to get a real handle on this important issue.

War on Drugs

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