Vancouver MPs voice opposition to Marc Emery's extradition
Two Vancouver MPs are decrying a decision to support the extradition of marijuana activist Marc Emery to the United States.
In 2005, Emery was arrested as part of a joint Canada-U.S. law enforcement effort on charges that relate to an alleged online marijuana seed-selling business based in Vancouver.
Emery had been out on bail for the past six months from the North Fraser Pretrial Centre. With the period of his release set to expire, Emery surrendered himself to authorities this morning (May 10) at the Vancouver courts to await a decision on extradition.
Emery’s wife, Jodie, told the Straight earlier today that she had learned federal justice minister Robert Nicholson approved an extradition order.
The decision has now come under fire from NDP MP Libby Davies and Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh. Both MPs tabled a 12,000-signature petition earlier this year in the House of Commons that opposed Marc Emery’s extradition.
“It’s about Canadian sovereignty,” Davies, the MP for Vancouver East, told the Straight. “Why would we cart off a Canadian to serve time in America for something he wouldn’t have been charged with in Canada? Now what we’re left with is trying to press that he at least be allowed to serve his time in Canada.”
Dosanjh, the MP for Vancouver South, told the Straight that Emery faces a “disproportionate sentence that he wouldn’t have received in Canada”.
“I believe in that case we as a country should ensure that he’s at least able to serve his sentence in a Canadian prison,” Dosanjh said. “He’s not a dangerous offender.”
The federal department of justice could not be reached for comment.
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Comments
I hope Emery rots in jail.
Former stoner who's govt wont let him smoke because I have a CDL license for my Job.
Cowards.
Your money is being wasted to send him to the US. HE COMMITED THE CRIME IN CANADA, NOT THE US therefore he should stay in Canada. Also, EVERY POLITICAL CANDIDATE SAYS WHAT PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR TO GET ELECTED, quit thinking this is still a democracy, the conservatives have ruined our country.
Danny, I agree STRONGLY with the Smith and Weston remark.
Even my mother, who does not agree with Marc Emery thinks he should at least stay in Canada.
Take a stroll down hastings,90%of them started with pot,
young men & woman ,children selling their body's,
their are people that can try it and walk away when ever they want,and then their are people who cant.
if i had to choose i would have to vote no in the hopes of saving one of those lost souls.
First of all Mark clearly you've been smoking way to much,to think you sold seeds to the U S A (whom fights the war on drugs ) you did it by mail (a crime in itself ) and then you put your name on it,clearly you are in need of a goverment paid vacation.
as for canada allowing the U S A to arrest Mr Emery you all need to wake up we are the 51st state,you might not like it but thats a fact Canada would be Nothing with out the U S A.
YOU SAY WE HAVE A ARMY...............BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA nothing like bringing a knife to a gun fight.
America ownes 30% of Canada they could shut us down anytime they want.
here's a idea how about they say no more imports from Canada? or were not gonna back you when Russia come's calling,if you think for one moment that the U S A doe'nt have a homeland security office here your out of your fricken mind.
you all need to put the weed away and wake up to the real world?
It should be legal anyway.
- take away the easy money for gangs. They use pot money for guns and hard drugs.
- tax it an sell it in Government Liquor and Pot stores
- legalization will keep young people away from criminals. (When was the last time you saw a bootlegger for moonshine?)
- let me grow it in my backyard garden next to my vegetables
40 odd percent of people will try pot, now, the way they have it illegal, people are getting it on the street right next to the hardest of drugs. what do you expect?
cannabis is less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco yet we stick it with the hard illegals and then this shows how silly it is. potentially a fifty year sentence for something that in canada would give you 2 months. thats why this is unfair. he was not a heroin dealer or addict. he tried to help heroin addicts. you will always have the drug war problems if you want to keep hinting at higher penalties for pot. 40 percent of the populace!! i wonder if it were legal would more smoke it. if they wanted to, then that should be what the government says is ok. the government stuffed it up with help from people like you..gateway...yes! because it is unregulated.
Someone above asked if we can jail American gun suppliers here, and that's an excellent question.Tit for tat - you take one of ours, we'll take one of yours.
shame on Canada.....FREE MARC!
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" American ownes 30% of Canada " ????
where the heck do you get this fact? are you that HIGH?? we sell them power, water, and oil. If Canada really woke up, we'd shut THEM down. As well, the US is so in-debt to China, that our other plan should be for everyone in Richmond to call home and have their relatives collect on their promissary notes.
Come home soon, we support you.
@#$% Ottawa
I suspect he will be sent back to Canada---
Smoking a pot = not solving problems in Canada
Smoking a pot = running from the unconvenient
truth about Canada.
The truth about Canada:
Everything I have touched in Canada, doesn’t work:
Canadian car makers are the most ineffective in the world.
(That is the fact, GM admitted it)
Your public education system is a disaster,
Your waiting time in medical system is KILLING people (fact)
Your cell network is horrible, 10 years behind Europe
and one of most expensive in the world (fact)
Your phone companies always connect me to employees living in Asia, because it is difficult to fire canadians
Your people are uneducated.
You sell wood to Oregon (USA) and import tables form them,(facts)
because you are not able to make a table.
YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING TO DO.
YOU HAVE ALL MONEY FROM SELLING OIL, METALS, WOOD
Go back to school and learn grammar.
Then learn critical thinking skills.
Then look at your post.
Then feel shame!!
At least this isn't some Asian country where he would be renditioned into years of torture in an undisclosed location. Humans sure do shitty things to each other in the name of rightiousness.
Previous "potato" poster is a complete and utter moron. Wonder what he's been smoking...tarballs and burnt fuses?
People who don’t have government jobs or connection on government-federal, provincial, municipal levels or connection to union or don’t have any grant for researches are SECOND-DEGREE CITIZENS.
Talented scientists work for $8 CAD/hour and untalented people with grants and connections earn 10 times more.
It is a slavery.
You smoke pot, because you are afraid of the truth.
legalizing the tree of life would bring in a redundant amount of tax dollars, and the benefits to the industrial and agricultural industries would be enormous. Also, as many have said before, this would take pot production and distribution out of the hands of criminals and into the hands of licensed business owners.
if we put his name on the ballot and he wins, I think we could get him back
@ regular joe : Conservatives in power is definately a "worse case scenario" for Canadians. I think if more young people could vote nowadays we could see green and side parties getting a fair share of the power. These smaller political groups have "common good" much more ingrained into their hearts, but even if the liberals win, we are better off then we are now. I agree "GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!"
@Patriotic Canadian: Your idea of running Marc emery for politics while he is incarcerated is kind of funny, I`m not sure if it would work, but it would definitely be interesting to see happen, and if it does, he has my vote.
ring....ring....ring....president answers "hello" .... "mr.president, this is Canada, we would like our politician back please"
@everyone: no matter what, we can`t stop fighting to get our citizen back, to fight for his liberty is to fight for your own liberty. if there is to be a precedent here lets make it a good one.