Liberals drawing up gun bill amendments, cannabis bill enters home stretch
At least one Liberal MP on the House Public Safety Committee is working with Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale’s (Regina-Wascana, Ont.) office to bring forward amendments to the gun safety bill, C-71. ”I think there have been some discussions … between the minister, minister’s staff, and Liberal members, about amendments,” said Liberal MP John McKay […]
Health Minister Petitpas Taylor says she won’t hesitate to fight marketing abuses from drug companies; mum on supporting surrogacy bill, suicide motion
With cannabis legalization looking all but certain, Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor may have a bit more time to focus on her department’s other sprawling responsibilities. There’s the opioid crisis, her newly-unveiled tobacco strategy, and supporting a growing population of seniors, to begin with. As scrutiny of pharmaceutical companies’ role in creating the current opioid crisis […]
As legal pot nears, employers pushing for drug testing law stuck at starting line
With cannabis legalization likely weeks or months away, some employers are still pushing the federal government to allow mandatory alcohol and drug tests in “safety-sensitive” industries, but Ottawa has given no sign it will touch their request. Bill C-45 and Bill C-46 address many aspects of legalizing cannabis—from pot production to enforcement—but employers see the […]
Senate committee likely to amend C-45 on home pot cultivation, says sponsor
The Senate Social Affairs Committee will likely recommend a change to the cannabis legalization bill’s terms for growing pot at home, says its sponsor in the Red Chamber. “I suspect there will be something in home cultivation. It has been probably one of the most-discussed issues,” said Ontario Independent Senator Tony Dean. “I would be […]
Note to Senators: home pot growth not worth sweating over
The Senate is now into the last two weeks of its study of the government’s cannabis legalization Bill C-45, and one of the top areas of concern for Canadian politicians with a stake in the outcome seems to be whether Canadians should be allowed to grow a small number of pot plants for their own […]
Tory Senators fed alternative facts in U.S. cannabis field trip
The Liberal government’s Cannabis Act recently survived the unanimous opposition of 29 current and former Conservative Senators and is now in committee. This appears to have prompted three Conservative Senators to travel south to meet with United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Trump administration officials, and the anti-cannabis organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana. The stated […]
Cannabis bill missing one thing: quick action on dose control
We are approaching monumental change in Canada—one that touches all corners of society, from the justice system to job creation to the expansion of the definition of agriculture. The Senate is in the midst of reviewing cannabis legalization. The House will then be able to look at the Senators’ suggestions for areas that align with […]
Questions abound on drug-impaired driving bill as clock ticks down to cannabis legalization
With the Liberals’ summer deadline for legalization of marijuana seemingly set in stone, a bill setting out rules around drug-impaired driving is still raising questions in the Senate committee tasked with studying the legislation. And committee members aren’t making any promises they’ll stand by the government’s proposed timeline. Bill C-46 makes changes to the Criminal […]
Senate committee split on amendment to delay cannabis bill
Senators on the committee studying the government’s controversial cannabis legalization bill are divided so far on whether to recommend that legalization be delayed by a year, and on how many amendments to the bill should be sent back to the House of Commons. The Senate Social Affairs Committee received reports from three other committees studying […]
Feds ‘not ready’ to roll out cannabis legalization given ‘huge gap’ in police training: critics
Police won’t be ready to properly test Canadians for drug impairment when cannabis is legalized, say critics who point to “terrible” new data showing 665 Canadian police officers as of Feb. 1 are certified to do the additional test if a driver fails the standard sobriety check. That includes 196 RCMP officers, of which 149 […]
