Question Period - Treasury Board Secretariat
Cannabis Bill—Regulations
April 26, 2018
The Honorable Senator Judith G. Seidman:
My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Senator Harder, several months ago I requested information from the Treasury Board regarding the unusual exemption that was granted to Health Canada allowing them to skip an important step in the regulatory process for cannabis legalization.
Last week I received a response which confirmed our suspicion that the government is cutting corners in order to meet the Prime Minister’s self-imposed political deadline. The answer from the Treasury Board stated clearly, and I quote:
. . . that an exemption from publication in Canada Gazette, Part I would be needed in order to ensure that the regulations necessary to support the implementation of the proposed Cannabis Act are in place no later than July 2018; when the government has committed to bring the proposed Cannabis Actinto force.
Since the government has indicated that the implementation will be delayed until the fall, is there any reason why draft regulations could not be pre-published now?
Hon. Peter Harder (Government Representative in the Senate): Again, I thank the honourable senator for the question. Colleagues will remember that the minister responsible, the President of the Treasury Board, was here and responded to questions similar to the one that has just been asked. It is the Government of Canada’s view that the President of the Treasury Board is acting in accordance with the exemption criteria of the law, and it is entirely appropriate, given the priority of this legislation and implementation.
Senator Seidman: This question is particularly important because our cities, provinces and territories are going to be the ones who are responsible for enforcing these regulations. Right now they don’t have any certainty about what they’re going to look like.
I was also concerned by the Treasury Board’s admission that stakeholders told the government it would be very important to provide feedback on the regulatory text, a standard practice which they will be denied as a consequence of the government’s dash to get this done.
It was even more concerning to read that during meetings with provinces and territories, provinces noted the importance of aligning their own regulations and asked for the opportunity to see the federal regulations before they are published.
The document also reveals that stakeholders suggested a compromise, an abbreviated public consultation period as short as 15 days, that would help ensure that everyone is on the same page before legalization begins.
Senator Harder, will the government listen to provinces and key stakeholders and give them the shorter consultation period they are asking for?
Senator Harder: Again, I thank the honourable senator for the question and I’ll be happy to inquire of the minister, based on what I can take as a representation from the honourable senator.