(Queen’s Park) – Garfield Dunlop, P.C. Critic for Community Safety and MPP for Simcoe North, yesterday delivered the Progressive Conservative Opposition’s first speech for 2nd Reading debate on Bill 128 that deals with indoor marijuana grow operations.

“After 18 months of McGuinty and his government, we are finally debating a community safety bill in the legislature,” said Dunlop. “But instead of vague legislation, to effectively fight marijuana grow ops, what police really need is more resources – particularly more new officers, like this government promised.”

Dunlop also noted that stiffer sentences from Ottawa for marijuana cultivation would be a more powerful deterrent than the disconnection of hydro without notice, as would be allowed under the bill.

“Minister Kwinter should make good on his promise of December 2003 to work with the federal government to increase jail time for grow op crime,” said Dunlop. “A minimum mandatory sentence of at least two years would have more impact than hefty fines, which to drug criminals, are just the price of doing illegal business.”

As P.C. Critic for Community Safety, Dunlop will ask his Caucus colleagues to support Bill 128 as a first, though small step in the big battle to put marijuana grow operations out of business in Ontario.

“Since the Minister himself acknowledged in his speech yesterday that Bill 128 is ‘just the beginning – a good first step’, I’m hoping he will be amenable to allowing it to go to Committee,” said Dunlop. “With amendments made in Committee, the bill could be made stronger and its vagueness corrected.”

Contacts:
Garfield Dunlop
(705) 327-4500 (cell)