OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY October 16 - 31, 2018
NOTICE TO MEDIA
What permanent and temporary residents need to know about Canada’s
new impaired driving and cannabis-related penalties
Canada has made cannabis
legally available to adults under
a strict legal framework. We have
also imposed tough new penalties
on those who commit cannabis-
related crimes, and in December
2018, those who drive under the
influence of alcohol or drugs,
including cannabis.
These penalties will have
significant impacts on Canadians
and non-Canadians alike. For non-
Canadians, including permanent
residents, the stakes will be high:
• Not only could they face a
fine, criminal charges or even jail,
but they may also lose their status
and have to leave the country.
• Similarly for temporary
residents,
including
visitors,
international students and foreign
workers, they may not be able to
enter or stay in the country.
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the
information:
Permanent residents and their
Canadian family and friends
need to know how these changes
could affect them. Help
us spread the word by
sharing this information
with your readers.
Potential immigration
consequences
for
Canadian
permanent
residents and temporary
residents
• As of October 17,
2018, if a permanent
or temporary resident
commits a cannabis-
related crime, such as
illegally producing or
selling cannabis, whether
in or outside Canada,
they could be found
inadmissible for serious
criminality under our
immigration laws.
• Similarly, when the new
impaired driving penalties take
effect on December 18, 2018,
most impaired driving infractions,
including in cases where no one
is hurt and the minimum fine is
imposed, will be considered serious
crimes in Canada. As a result, both
permanent and temporary residents
could be found inadmissible for
serious criminality.
If these situations, permanent
residents could lose their status
and have to leave the country. Similarly, for those who want to
visit, study, or work temporarily in
Canada, or who are already here
temporarily, they may not be able
to stay or enter the country. (info.
[email protected])
there is a lack of understanding
on what PR would do to my prov-
ince and more importantly to the
residents I represent in my city”
says Councillor Chak Au. “Ballots
are arriving in the mail and I am
getting calls from residents ask-
ing what it means and how they
should respond. Residents need
to understand that PR will confer
power on people they have not di-
rectly elected but are appointed by
their parties, says Au. “Residents
need to understand that people
who might not live in Richmond or
understand the diversity of our city
will further disrupt the balance we
work so hard to provide. This will
confer power on people not direct- ly elected but appointed by their
parties. This is not the democracy
that First Past the Post gives us.”
The Richmond Community Co-
alition will reach out to our GenX
and Millennial first time voters, to
our diverse ethnic communities,
to seniors, to persons with disabili-
ties, to residents who make up the
fabric of our city to stay involved
and help defeat a system that the
Premier says requires a ‘leap of
faith’ followed by ‘just trust us’ as
they launch a flawed and unfair
plan to change history with only a
50% plus 1 vote to keep the green
party in line.
Richmond Community Coalition Announces
Support for NO CAMPAIGN
The Richmond Community
Coalition will actively get involved
and support the JUST SAY NO TO
PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTA-
TION campaign.
RCC candidates and volun-
teers who worked so hard in the
Municipal Election will now turn
their attention to the next political
challenge facing their city.
The Richmond Community
Coalition is committed to hold-
ing community meetings over the
next 4 weeks to explain what this
referendum means, to explain the
pitfalls of PR and to help residents
with their ballots so that they have
the opportunity to be part of the
decision that will affect their lives.
“This is more than just an
idle political commitment,” said,
RCCA president Rob Howard. “It’s
clear that we need to have a more
proactive relationship between the
communities in our city. Propor-
tional Representation will create
supersized ridings and we will lose
even more connection with our
provincial government. Harmony
begins at home and we will take
this opportunity to connect with
our communities and help them
understand how PR will affect their
lives.”
“I am deeply concerned that
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