‘Cannabis queen’ Jodie Emery files to run for federal Liberals in Vancouver East
Sarah Boesveld | September 8, 2014 7:20 PM ET
Ms. Emery said she has never met or spoken with Mr. Trudeau, but members of the Vancouver East Federal Liberal Riding Association encouraged her to seek the nomination. Still, she understands why he would be nervous as the Conservatives try to connect his support for legalization with the slippery slope leading to the corruption of children.
“The initial news implied that they’d reached out to me which wasn’t true,” she told theNational Post after filing her papers, referring to a Georgia Strait headline that claimed the Liberals had wooed Canada’s “cannabis queen.”
“I clarified it as much as I could afterwards, and I intend to run this campaign as much as I can from the ground up.”
Mr. Trudeau has been criticized for parachuting in “star” candidates, such as Chrystia Freeland, which also might explain his reluctance to become involved in an open nomination process, she said. Speculation he was distancing himself from Ms. Emery swirled after they both attended the Liberal Party BC Day barbecue, but did not speak.
The Conservatives’ efforts to warn against marijuana legalization in local by-elections have failed to gain traction, Ms. Emery said.
“[I]t’s funny that the Conservatives and NDP are warning to not have us run [for the Liberals] … why are they concerned about the welfare of the Liberal party?” she said.
“Maybe, it suggests we actually can help get the vote out because Marc and I are high profile and we have people who want to get active and we have a federal party that wants to legalize marijuana.”
The couple’s political efforts kicked into high gear this summer after Mr. Emery was released from a Mississippi prison, having served 1,590 days for drug distribution. He wants the federal election to be a “referendum on marijuana legalization.” Ms. Emery shares his views, although she hopes the issue would be resolved quickly after the election and she could represent her riding on other issues.
“We want more freedom, we want more liberty, we want more value for our tax dollars, the best services available with the lowest cost,” she said, adding she believes Canadians support legalizing pot.
So far, she has just one opponent — Richard Jaques, a former Mountie who was once disciplined for “abuse of authority.”
Vancouver East has been held by the NDP for 17 years, primarily by Libby Davies, a woman Ms. Emery calls her “role model.”
National Post
Article source National Post
High-profile marijuana activist files for federal Liberal nomination
OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail // Published
A high-profile advocate for marijuana legalization has filed her papers to run as a Liberal in the next federal election, putting the spotlight on an issue that the Conservatives have used to attack Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.
Jodie Emery filed her nomination papers Monday in Vancouver East, a riding the NDP has held since 1997. Ms. Emery is a prominent marijuana legalization advocate, along with her husband Marc Emery, known as the “Prince of Pot,” who returned to Canada last month after serving an American jail sentence over selling marijuana seeds.
Her path to candidacy, however, remains unclear. The party declined comment, though one Liberal source cautioned early signs are “it will not be smooth sailing” for Ms. Emery despite her high profile. She’ll go through the normal process to be approved as a candidate for the Liberal nomination in the riding.
Ms. Emery, however, has the backing of local Liberals, including a former riding president, who is currently the party’s election-readiness chair in the riding, and the local Liberal association’s vice-president. She says they approached her to run.
“I understand the Liberals don’t want the media marijuana star couple trying to steal the limelight or whatever, but it’s not about us. For Marc and I, it’s about trying to get [Stephen] Harper out of office. For me, that’s my primary goal,” Ms. Emery, 29, said Monday. “… For many proud Canadians who are disappointed in this government, I think the Liberal party offers a great party to join and support to take back this country for the people, the environment and everything else that is so important.”
She has previously run for the provincial Green Party, but said she chose the Liberals in part because they are the only party “that can replace the Harper government” in next year’s election.
“Justin Trudeau represents new, fresh leadership. I feel like he’s somebody who may be called a blank slate, but that’s somebody that’s open to ideas. He wants to base his policies on facts and science, not on ideology the way Harper does,” Ms. Emery said.
Liberal party spokesman Olivier Duchesneau declined to comment on Ms. Emery’s would-be candidacy, but said the riding’s nomination race has not yet been formally opened. “Every Canadian can enter the process, go online and request a nomination package and submit it. We never comment on a hypothetical candidate,” Mr. Duchesneau said.
However, one Liberal source said party officials already expect questions for Ms. Emery that could derail her candidacy “just based on what’s available on the public record at this time.” Another source said Ms. Emery’s nomination would be a long shot and that the riding is considered the “least winnable” in Vancouver.
Ms. Emery, however, said she’s looking forward to speaking with a Liberal selection committee.
“I’m looking forward to talking to them though. I’m confident in everything I’ve done, and even if I said something outrageous, I’m a human being, I can own up to that or apologize or whatever it may be. I stand true to my principles more than anything else,” she said.
Mr. Trudeau also favours marijuana legalization, and the Conservatives have regularly targeted him and the Liberals on the issue. Recently, on Sept. 5, a party fundraising e-mail signed by International Trade Minister Ed Fast attacked the Liberals by saying “the only trade they’re interested in is the marijuana trade.”
A new electoral map is being introduced for next year’s election, but the current Vancouver East seat is held by NDP MP Libby Davies, who has won it consecutively since 1997. Ms. Emery ran in 2009 and 2013 for the B.C. Green Party, earning 11 per cent of the vote in last year’s race.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story said one of Ms. Emery’s backers is a former vice-president of the local riding association. In fact, he is still vice-president. This story has been updated.
Article source Globe & Mail
