Liberals pledge 10 times the money to legalize pot as they do tobacco control

With important elections looming both provincially and federally, it is natural that Canada’s health-care system will a big part of electoral discussions. One in six Canadians is a senior, and that number is expected to be nearly one in four in the next 10 years With an aging population, strategies to address this challenge are […]
Politics This Morning: Trudeau heads to London, U.K.; Petitpas Taylor faces Senate committee; privacy commissioner discusses Cambridge Analytica probe

Good Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be abroad over the next three days. After meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on his turf, Mr. Trudeau’s next stop will be London, U.K., where he is scheduled to sit down with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Queen Elizabeth II. But before Mr. Trudeau heads to […]
Senate Foreign Affairs Committee won’t have time to fully examine how sweeping cannabis bill will affect international treaties, says Andreychuk

The Senate Foreign Affairs and International Trade Committee won’t be able to examine all the ways the government’s cannabis legalization bill will affect Canada’s international treaties before reporting back to the Senate by May 1, says Saskatchewan Conservative Senator Raynell Andreychuk, who chairs the committee. “It is going to be very difficult to accomplish what we […]
Senators expected to lobby peers over controversial pot bill amendments, Social Affairs calling the shots

The Senate is breaking new ground with a sweeping study of the marijuana legalization Bill C-45, with five committees tackling the legislation that would fulfill a key Liberal campain promise, and Senators are expected to lobby peers on the Senate’s Social Affairs Committee who will decide which amendments to include or leave out of a […]
Medical marijuana: the forgotten issue in the new law

If the trend continues, once Bill C-45 on legalizing cannabis is passed, Canadians will find themselves in a totally absurd situation. On the one hand, there’s recreational cannabis, which is legal and carefully regulated. On the other, there’s medical marijuana, which is left out and will continue to be distributed solely by mail and without […]
Marijuana hurts kids, and C-45 is a toxic bill, says Sen. Unger
Re: “Sen. Unger relies on incomplete representation to argue her case against marijuana legalization,” (The Hill Times, Jan. 8, p. 8), “Sen. Unger’s got it wrong on marijuana legalization,” (The Hill Times, Jan. 24, p. 8). The Trudeau government has tabled Bill C-45, which, if passed, will legalize the sale and distribution of marijuana and—incredibly—make […]
Feds’ pot legalization could be delayed beyond July 1 deadline

Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor says Ottawa could delay legalizing recreational marijuana for months after necessary legislation is passed into law to allow lower orders of government more time to set up new retail facilities and production channels. “They told us they need eight to 12 weeks following royal assent for preparatory activities to occur, […]
Cannabis legalization will be a mess, says reader
Re: “Cannabis Policy Briefing,” (The Hill Times, Jan. 22, pp. 15-25). Come July 1, this will be a new problem across the country, since provinces are treating it very differently. This reminds me of the famous quote of Laurel and Hardy: “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into.” And it will be a mess. […]
Embracing new technology for a new cannabis industry

With Bill C-45, Canada’s cannabis legalization bill, moving through the Senate, politicians and pundits have furiously debated our best path forward. Reduction of youth consumption, decriminalization of adult possession, and the eradication of black-market profits are shared objectives between government and industry that have driven legalization discussions to date. While these priorities are often discussed […]
Liberals to put sexual harassment, cannabis, transparency bills in the window as opposition parties hammer ethical lapses

Bills on sexual harassment on the Hill, political fundraisers, and cannabis legalization top a list of the legislation the federal Liberals will prioritize when the House returns Jan. 29, according to the Office of the Government House leader. The opposition Conservatives will get back to hammering Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) for breaking the […]