Coalition government would expel immigrants who fail to learn French in three years

The Canadian military has unveiled new restrictions on when service members can use recreational marijuana - and warned those in uniform could face disciplinary action or charges if they fail to comply.

The restrictions and warning are contained in a new policy released Friday, in which defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance says military personnel will be expected to “make responsible choices” when it comes to using the drug.

The policy comes just weeks before weed becomes legal next month and follows a year of internal deliberations as officials sought to balance that new reality against the need to ensure the safety and security of personnel, equipment and missions.

The new restrictions are more stringent than those governing the use of alcohol and include a blanket requirement that all military personnel abstain from using marijuana at least eight hours before going on duty.

There is also a complete ban on marijuana use by personnel deployed on overseas missions or training as well as on military aircraft and ships.

There is also a 24-hour restriction on service members who plan to handle or maintain a weapon, ammunition or piece of equipment.

Those who break the rules or are otherwise suspected of “misusing cannabis” can face a variety of disciplinary actions as well as charges, and service members who suspect a colleague of such misuse are required to report the matter.

Supervisors have also been given directions to help recognize whether their troops might be under the influence, including to look for red or glassy eyes, slow reaction times, anxiety and unusual talkativeness.

Drug tests can be ordered in some situations.

Set to take effect on Oct. 17, the same day recreational marijuana becomes legal, the policy represents the first of its kind in the federal government, though the RCMP is finalizing its own version.

It will apply to all 100,000 uniformed members of the Canadian Armed Forces as well as the roughly 25,000 civilians currently employed by the Department of National Defence.

A review board has heard a Calgary man found not criminally responsible for the stabbing deaths of five young people four years ago is making progress and has been a model patient.

Dr. Sergio Santana told the Alberta Review Board that Matthew de Grood is fully participating in his treatment and is trying to do the right thing.

His testimony prompted jeers from family members of the victims and a sharp rebuke from the board chair.

“He’s very committed to his treatment,” Santana told the hearing Friday. “He’s not just there going through the motions. Matthew is a model patient and he’s doing everything he can.”

The treatment team believes de Grood, who is now 27, will need to stay in the secure hospital where he is being housed for quite some time, Santana added.

But he says it’s possible that eventually de Grood could be released back into the community. De Grood’s schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder is in full remission, he said.

“His progress is good. Eventually there will be a time when reintegration will be possible.”

There is an increased risk of violence if de Grood slips back into a psychotic state, Santana said. De

Language politics surfaced on the Quebec campaign trail Friday as the leader of the Coalition Avenir Quebec promised his government would force new immigrants to leave the province if they don’t learn French within three years.

After two weeks of campaigning nearly devoid of language talk, Francois Legault said new immigrants would be given a temporary permit upon entry and then have three years to take language courses and pass a basic Frenchlanguage test.

Those who fail would not be granted permission to stay and would be considered to be in the country illegally, he said.

While claiming the test would be simple enough that anyone “in good faith” should have no trouble passing it, he added he was open to offering an extension or exemption to seniors or those with learning disabilities.

“I will be open to accommodations, Matthew de Grood of Calgary is shown in an image from a Calgary 10k race in 2013. De Grood is appearing before a hearing from the Alberta Review Board which will determine if he should be granted more freedom.

Grood now has unsupervised access to the internet but staff are watching for warning signs including insomnia and irritability.

De Grood attended the hearing with his lawyer but didn’t look at if someone has learning difficulties,” he told reporters. “Of course we won’t ask them for the same,” he told reporters in Montreal.

“I want to be human, I don’t want to ask them to do something that is impossible.”

Legault said more than 50 per cent of immigrants who arrive in the province don’t speak French and that many of those end up leaving or facing high levels of unemployment.

He warned that under present conditions, the use of French will gradually disappear.

“If year after year we accept 50,000 immigrants and most don’t speak French, it’s a matter of time,” he said.

“It might take one, two, three generations but it’s a matter of time before we stop speaking French in Montreal and that’s not what I want.”

The Coalition has already proposed lowering the number of immigrants to the province to 40,000 a year from the current 50,000.

those packed into the courtroom.

De Grood has developed insight into his illness, Santana said. He told treatment staff and his family that he was having flashbacks around the anniversary of the attacks.

The psychiatrist said last November that de Grood was upset when another doctor refused to treat him because he didn’t want to draw unwanted attention to his clinic. De Grood realizes that the notoriety of his actions will be with him for a long time, Santana told the hearing.

“That was a reality check in a way.”

The review board’s annual hearing is to determine if de Grood should be granted more freedom.

De Grood was granted more privileges following the review in April 2017, including being allowed to go for supervised walks on hospital grounds as well as being allowed trips for medical appointments and treatment.

De Grood was suffering from a mental disorder when he attacked and killed Zackariah Rathwell, 21, Jordan Segura, 22, Josh Hunter, 23, Kaitlin Perras, 23, and Lawrence Hong, 27, in April 2014.

The judge ruled de Grood didn’t understand his actions were wrong. He is on medication for schizophrenia and his symptoms had been in “full remission” since July 2014.

De Grood has said he heard what he thought was the voice of the devil before the attack and told a psychiatrist that he believed a war was about to begin, signalling the end of the world, when he arrived at the party. Coalition Avenir du Quebec leader Francois Legault and Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante arrive for a news conference, Friday, in Montreal, Que.