Marc-Boris St-Maurice
Encyclopedia
Marc-Boris St-Maurice is an activist, political and Canadian
musician
, who has campaigned for many years for the legalization of cannabis
, and to facilitate access to the drug for health reasons. He lives in Montreal
.
as bassist of punk
band Grimskunk. It was then that Marc Saint-Maurice received the nickname "Boris".
, a Quebec
provincial political party whose main goal is the decriminalization and eventual legalization of marijuana complete. In 2000, he created the equivalent of the federal Bloc Pot, Marijuana Party, which ran candidates in federal elections.
In February 2005, Saint-Maurice left the Marijuana Party to join the Liberal Party of Canada
, arguing that the chances of reaching the objectives pursued by both parties pro-marijuana were better in the then ruling party. The movement for marijuana had actually made some progress under Liberal rule in the late 2000s, but Paul Martin
, who succeeded Jean Chrétien
as Prime Minister and Liberal leader, had been more conservative on the issue.
In an election on 1 October 2001, Saint-Maurice finished 5th out of five candidates, winning 323 votes for the Bloc Pot in the riding of Jonquiere, left vacant by Premier Lucien Bouchard resigned and won on that occasion by Françoise Gauthier Party Quebec Liberal.
was elected to the Canadian Alliance.
In the elections of November 27, 2000, Saint-Maurice finished in 4th place with 2156 votes for the Marijuana Party in the riding of Laurier-Sainte-Marie (Quebec), behind leader Gilles Duceppe
, the Bloc Québécois
, Jean-Philippe Côté, PLC and Dylan Perceval-Maxwell's Green Party.
On May 13, 2002, during a partial in St-Léonard-St-Michel (Quebec), St-Maurice received 197 votes and finished last for the Marijuana Party.
In the elections of June 28, 2004
in Lasalle-Emard (Quebec)
, he finished sixth and last for the Marijuana Party with 349 votes in the constituency of Prime Minister Paul Martin
.
and British Columbia
was opened on Rachel, Montreal, near a police station.
Following a police raid, St. Maurice and his colleague Alexander Neron were accused of possession and trafficking of narcotics. The lawyers pleaded that the Canadian legislation left a legal loophole, allowing certain individuals to possess cannabis for medicinal purposes, but not supplying the product in question. Judge Gilles Cadieux halted the proceedings against the two men in December 2002.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, who has campaigned for many years for the legalization of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
, and to facilitate access to the drug for health reasons. He lives in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Music career
He first became known in the early 1990s1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
as bassist of punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Grimskunk. It was then that Marc Saint-Maurice received the nickname "Boris".
Political career
In 1998, he founded the Bloc PotBloc pot
The Bloc Pot is a provincial political party in Quebec, Canada that is dedicated to ending cannabis prohibition. It has contested three provincial elections but it has failed to win any seats in the National Assembly of Quebec. The party was launched in 1997 by Marc-Boris St-Maurice as a way to...
, a Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
provincial political party whose main goal is the decriminalization and eventual legalization of marijuana complete. In 2000, he created the equivalent of the federal Bloc Pot, Marijuana Party, which ran candidates in federal elections.
In February 2005, Saint-Maurice left the Marijuana Party to join the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
, arguing that the chances of reaching the objectives pursued by both parties pro-marijuana were better in the then ruling party. The movement for marijuana had actually made some progress under Liberal rule in the late 2000s, but Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
, who succeeded Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
as Prime Minister and Liberal leader, had been more conservative on the issue.
Provincial Elections (Quebec)
At the general election of November 30, 1998, Saint-Maurice finishes fourth out of nine candidates with 985 votes, or 3% of the vote in the riding of Mercier.In an election on 1 October 2001, Saint-Maurice finished 5th out of five candidates, winning 323 votes for the Bloc Pot in the riding of Jonquiere, left vacant by Premier Lucien Bouchard resigned and won on that occasion by Françoise Gauthier Party Quebec Liberal.
Federal Elections (Canada)
On September 11, 2000, in a by-election in Okanagan-Coquihalla, British Columbia, Saint-Maurice finished 6th out of eight candidates with 438 votes as an independent candidate. Stockwell DayStockwell Day
Stockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP is a former Canadian politician, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is a former cabinet minister in Alberta, and a former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day was MP for the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla in British Columbia and the president of...
was elected to the Canadian Alliance.
In the elections of November 27, 2000, Saint-Maurice finished in 4th place with 2156 votes for the Marijuana Party in the riding of Laurier-Sainte-Marie (Quebec), behind leader Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe is a Canadian politician, and proponent of the Québec sovereignty movement. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons for over 20 years and was the leader of the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois for almost 15 years. He is the son of a well-known Quebec actor, Jean...
, the Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
, Jean-Philippe Côté, PLC and Dylan Perceval-Maxwell's Green Party.
On May 13, 2002, during a partial in St-Léonard-St-Michel (Quebec), St-Maurice received 197 votes and finished last for the Marijuana Party.
In the elections of June 28, 2004
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
in Lasalle-Emard (Quebec)
LaSalle—Émard
LaSalle—Émard is a federal electoral district in the Canadian province of Quebec that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988. Its population in 2001 was 99,767. It is represented by New Democrat Hélène LeBlanc...
, he finished sixth and last for the Marijuana Party with 349 votes in the constituency of Prime Minister Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
.
Compassion Club and activism
Saint-Maurice has also experienced trouble with the law when he was a full time volunteer at the Compassion Club, an organization that provides marijuana to seriously ill individual with a medical prescription. The first Montreal Compassion Club, based on the example of those in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
was opened on Rachel, Montreal, near a police station.
Following a police raid, St. Maurice and his colleague Alexander Neron were accused of possession and trafficking of narcotics. The lawyers pleaded that the Canadian legislation left a legal loophole, allowing certain individuals to possess cannabis for medicinal purposes, but not supplying the product in question. Judge Gilles Cadieux halted the proceedings against the two men in December 2002.