Insite protesters promise to dog Harper's Olympic appearances
The taped-up door of the the Chinese Cultural Centre in downtown
Vancouver on Wednesday.
 
The taped-up door of the the Chinese Cultural Centre in downtown
Vancouver on Wednesday. Handout
 
Supporters of safe-injection site delay Harper photo-op, prompting
fierce exchange between PM's spokesman and NDP MP
 
Ian Bailey and Justine Hunter
 
Vancouver, BC -- From Thursday's Globe and Mail Published on
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010 6:27PM EST Last updated on Thursday, Feb.
11, 2010 9:39AM EST
 
Supporters of Vancouver's safe-injection site are promising to
interfere with Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Olympic appearances
after forcing him to postpone an appearance visit to a Chinese
Cultural Centre with a feisty protest yesterday.
 
Nathan Allen, a spokesman for Insite for Community Safety, promised
the continued activism "if we know where [Mr. Harper] is"
after a protest in which activists chained the doors of the downtown
Chinese Cultural Centre ahead of Mr. Harper's appearance.
 
The demonstration, which drew dozens of Vancouver police officers
who stood between the building and about 150 protesters, came in the
same week that the federal Conservative government said it would
launch an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada to shut down Insite,
which provides addicts with a safe, clean place to use their drugs.
 
Not long before the Prime Minister's scheduled photo op at the
Chinese Cultural Centre, a few blocks from Insite in the Downtown
Eastside, the protesters wrapped yellow caution tape around the
complex, then chained the doors.
 
Vancouver police removed the chains before allowing the protest to
continue.
 
The situation prompted a barbed exchange between Libby Davies, the
Vancouver East MP for the NDP, and Dimitri Soudas, a spokesman for
Mr. Harper.
 
Mr. Soudas criticized Ms. Davies for calling the protest impressive
on Twitter, noting in an e-mail that "veterans, seniors and
young children" were trapped inside because Ms. Davies's
"welcoming committee" closed the exits.
 
"We had an NDP MP outside cheering them on," he said in a
subsequent interview.
 
Ms. Davies watched the protest and left before it ended. However,
she denied she had anything to do with organizing it -- an
assertion backed up by Mr. Allen.
 
Mr. Harper will visit the B.C. Legislature today.
 
While the debate about Mr. Harper's decision to prorogue Parliament
continues, he'll deliver a speech on the eve of the 2010 Winter
Olympics Games to salute the province for its role as host.
 
Federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff helpfully sent B.C.
legislators a list of questions they could ask on his behalf.
 
"I am writing to you as fellow Parliamentarians ... to ask you
a favour," he wrote in the letter, released yesterday.
"Since we in the House of Commons can't ask Mr. Harper any
questions, and since you'll have him in the B.C. Legislature, maybe
you could try and get some answers from him," he wrote in the
letter, released yesterday.
 
But as B.C. New Democratic Party leader Carole James noted, there is
no chance to do anything but sit back and listen. "Mr. Ignatieff
knows those questions can be asked outside the legislature," she
said. "If the Prime Minister wants to address the legislature,
we don't have a problem with that."
 
Mr. Harper will not be available for questions outside the House,
either, as he will not meet with reporters. He will meet privately
with B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell. He'll head back to Vancouver to
attend the opening ceremonies tomorrowFRI.
 
In Ottawa, the federal Liberal Leader said it is
"ridiculous" that the Prime Minister will deliver a speech
about the Olympics in Victoria.
 
"He ought to be giving it in this room behind us," he said
in front of the Commons. "This is the Parliament of Canada.
That's where that speech should be given. But he's prorogued,"
he said, adding: "I sure hope he doesn't prorogue the B.C.
Legislature." After sitting for just three days this month, the
B.C. Legislature will break for the duration of the Games.

Ian Bailey and Justine Hunter