south america

Harper's drug stance may put him on the outs at Summit of the Americas

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Fri, 04/13/2012 - 5:21pm

BY MARK KENNEDY, POSTMEDIA NEWS Published: Vancouver Sun

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper is flying to a weekend summit in Colombia where his hard line on drugs will put him at odds with some Latin American leaders who are calling for a debate over whether drug use should be decriminalized.

Harper's position on Cuba also could run afoul of a possible consensus by countries in central and South America.

Harper is attending the Summit of the Americas, a conference of leaders from 34 nations that is held every three years.

The talks this year will include such issues as trade expansion, and Harper will meet with senior business executives from Canada and elsewhere who are attending the summit to discuss investment in the Western Hemisphere. Read more »

The war on drugs is lost

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Mon, 01/24/2011 - 2:17pm
By: Fernando Henrique Cardoso, The Star
 
SAO PAULO—The war on drugs is a lost war, and 2011 is the time to move away from a punitive approach in order to pursue a new set of policies based on public health, human rights and common sense. These are the core findings of the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy that I convened, together with former presidents Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico and César Gaviria of Colombia.

Latin American drug wars are our fault

Submitted by Nicole Seguin on Wed, 09/22/2010 - 12:08pm
By Dan Gardner, The Ottawa Citizen
 
Please allow me to put in print what an awful lot of Latin American politicians would like to say to their Canadian colleagues:
 
You know how the illicit drug trade has plagued the countries of Latin America for decades? You know how it spreads corruption, undermines governance, and distorts economies? You know how it stacks corpses like cordwood?
 
You know the carnage happening in Mexico right now? More than 26,000 people dead?
 
You know all that? Good. Because you are responsible.
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