The sponsor of a private member's bill that would make it a crime to procure the ingredients of crystal meth and ecstasy for the purpose of manufacturing the drugs is urging quick passage of the bill after the House of Commons passed second reading unanimously on Wednesday, April 14.
Before it can become law, Bill C-475 still needs to go to the Senate for comment, then back to the House for third reading, then back to the Senate for final approval. Many such bills take months to wind their way through the approval process, only to be quashed when Parliament is dissolved and an election called.
John Weston, the conservative member of Parliament for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country admitted there's always that chance with Bill C-475, especially given the fact that his Tories are in a minority situation. That's one reason he's pushing for it to be enacted quickly.
"If I have the time, it should get through, but there's always that challenge," he said.
"Unanimity of support really helps expedite these things, so I've asked that this be pushed forward as quickly as we can."
The original version of the bill was introduced by Chris Warkentin, the MP for the Alberta riding of Peace River, in 2006, but didn't make it through the House. Weston introduced Bill C-475 as Private Members' Bill last November.
Addressing the House on Tuesday, April 13, Weston described crystal meth and ecstasy - two types of methamphetamine - as highly addictive drugs for which the ingredients are common and fairly easy to obtain.
He told the House of a woman in this riding whom he referred to as Helen. The 34-year-old had been fighting her addiction to ecstasy for 15 years, he said.
"She confided that the ecstasy had damaged her body and mind forever," Weston said. "She had experienced severe psychosis; spent time on the street, been in abusive relationships, and has done whatever was necessary to get the drugs she craved."
According to Weston, Helen said one of the biggest problems with crystal meth and ecstasy is their easy availability - a situation that Bill C-475 seeks to address.
"This bill attempts to attack the problem at its source, dealing directly with the precursors of these drugs," he said.
The bill, he said, has broad support from groups such as the B.C. Association of Police Chiefs, the Crystal Meth Society of B.C., the Town of Gibsons, the District of Squamish, the City of Powell River, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, Squamish Nation Chief Gibby Jacob and many others.
"We had a lot of endorsements outside the House that really helped build the sort of consensus we saw expressed in the House today," Weston said.
