News Release

October 18, 2007

Telegdi Calls Harper the “Poster Child for a Bully”

Ottawa: Andrew Telegdi, criticized the government’s neo-conservative crime-fighting agenda today in his speech in the House of Commons.

“The Prime Minister has a reputation for bullying his party, the press, his MPs and anyone who disagrees with him,” Telegdi said. “Using this approach to crime reduction will show that the Prime Minister is the poster child for bullying. “

In their Throne Speech the government said it would provide funding for 2,500 more police on the street and a National Anti-Drug Strategy.

“The Harper government is aping the American war on drugs as a solution to crime reduction and it does not work, Telegdi said. “They will end up criminalizing hundreds of thousands of young Canadians for no more than smoking marijuana – the previous Liberal government was going to decriminalize.”

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has repeatedly stated that we will not reduce crime rates with more police and prison guards but through social development and crime prevention programs that fight poverty, illiteracy and bullying.

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