News

Imprisoned Candidate Could Decide Tight N.S. Race

Saturday, July 26, 2003

by National Post
National Post

Nova Scotia New Democrats are fuming that they may lose a hotly contested riding because of a "spoiler" candidate -- a convicted drug trafficker who is running in the riding of Halifax Citadel from a New Brunswick prison.

Michael Ronald Patriquen, the leader of the Marijuana Party of Nova Scotia, is serving a six-year sentence in Dorchester, N.B., after pleading guilty to conspiracy to traffic marijuana.

But his candidacy in the Halifax riding could pull enough votes from the NDP to decide the outcome of the riding, and possibly even the entire Nova Scotia election.

Some observers say Patriquen could be the determining factor in the race among the NDP's Peter Delefes, Conservative Health Minister Jane Purves and Liberal leader Danny Graham.

"It's so close that you couldn't get a piece of sandpaper between the candidates," said Agar Adamson, a retired political science professor. "A third party, like the Marijuana Party, could pick up 40 votes or 104 votes and that could make the difference."

The riding, which has a long history of close races, could go to any of the candidates when polls close on Aug. 5.

"I had a conversation last evening with someone who's working within the NDP campaign in Halifax Citadel. Her view is that it is so tight that the votes that go to the Marijuana Party could significantly affect who wins," said Trudie Richards, a public relations professor at Halifax's Mount Saint Vincent University.

The only public opinion poll of the provincial campaign showed the Tories and Liberals running neck and neck at 22% provincewide, and the NDP close behind at 17. The survey of 702 Nova Scotians, conducted two weeks ago, found 34% of voters undecided.

Mr. Delefes, who was the area's MLA from 1998 to 1999, said Patriquen should not be allowed to run.

"I think that if one is incarcerated with a serious charge of that sort, one should be denied the right to run as a candidate," the NDP candidate said.

"He can't go door to door; can't attend debates and rallies that give the public an opportunity to speak with him and learn his views."

Nova Scotia election rules do not prohibit candidates from running from behind bars, nor do they require that candidates live in their riding or even the province.

Roderick MacArthur, chief clerk of Nova Scotia's House of Assembly, said Patriquen is believed to be the first person to exercise his right to run for office from prison.

Mr. MacArthur was nonplussed when asked what would happen if Patriquen won. "We've never had this problem before, so this is getting pretty hypothetical," he said. "If, say, he got past the initial swearing-in, the House of Assembly .. would have the right to dismiss him. They could do that."

However, the Liberal leader said he is not concerned about that possibility.

"If he's going to be competitive, he needs to catch up on lawn signs," Mr. Graham said yesterday. "The lawn signs here seem to be generally red. I'm not sure what the colours are for Mr. Patriquen's signs. Perhaps they're green and leafy, but I haven't seen too many of them, at least as lawn signs."

Speaking from Westmorland Institution, a federal minimum-security prison, Patriquen said his health is keeping him from mounting an all-out campaign. Corrections Canada will not let him use the medical marijuana he said he is entitled to under a Health Canada exemption to treat chronic pain caused by a spinal cord injury.

"I signed the nomination papers and that's it," said Patriquen, explaining that his wife, Melanie Stephen-Patriquen, is running his campaign.

He said he has no expectations of winning the seat. All he hopes to do is raise awareness about marijuana issues.

"You throw your hat in the ring. You pick up what comes out of it," he said.

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, news clippings are made available without profit for research and educational purposes.

Local Activism

A hotbed of cannabis activism, Washington State is home to many organizations working to bring about rational drug policy. Here are some things to get involved with:

Cannabis Defense Coalition has been very active lately. They focus on courtroom observation and medical marijuana activism.

The ACLU-WA Drug Policy Project created the Marijuana: It's Time for a Conversation campaign, among other things.

Initiative 75, passed in 2003, deprioritized marijuana law enforcement in Seattle. A final report (2mb pdf) on the law was produced by the city.

The November Coalition, based in Colville, is a national reform group and works with prisoners and families.

SpoCannabis is a medical marijuana activist group in Spokane.

King Co. Bar Association Drug Policy Project has done amazing work educating the "suits" about the failure of our prohibition model of drug policy, and the need for a regulatory model of drug policy.

Seattle Hempfest is the third weekend in August on Seattle's waterfront.

Olympia Hempfest is a week after Seattle's big bash.