Cannabis Culture: Ottawa is in the field, according to Quebec

Photo Simon Clark
The ministers Lucie Charlebois and Jean-Marc Fournier

Charles Lecavalier

Thursday, February 8, 2018 09:39

UPDATE
Thursday, the 8th of February 2018 11:05

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The Trudeau government is in the field when it says that the provinces may not prohibit the domestic cultivation of cannabis, believes Jean-Marc Fournier.

“As the federal law provides that five plants and more are not allowed, zero, it is less than five, and it is possible, to zero, to comply with federal law. There is not a conflict of application, since, at zero plant in the home, we respect and federal law and provincial law,” said Thursday the minister responsible for Relations with canadian Jean-Marc Fournier.

Mr Fournier was to make a “focus” following the release of the federal minister of Justice, Jody Wilson-Raybould. She said Wednesday that there are “limits” to the zero tolerance that have the intention to impose some provinces, including Quebec, regarding the cultivation of cannabis plants at home.

Ms. Wilson-Raybould has suggested that the prohibition pure and simple of the cultivation of cannabis would be against the draft of the federal law that permits it. “There are provisions in C-45, and other legislative measures that have been proposed or registered trademarks seek to counteract these provisions,” she said.

Mr. Fournier noted that Quebec would be ready to defend his act before the courts. “Ottawa may ban five plants and more at home, but this is not to allow zero, one, two, three or four plants. This goes back to the provinces,” he remarked.

“The two governments, what we want is for you to ensure the security and public health, and, we, what we propose is a measure which is strict, that is in the context of our skills. Why imply, in particular, yesterday, that the federal government could impose its rule, so that it does not have the jurisdiction and [that it would] expenditure of public funds?” again according to Mr. Fournier.

Québec solidaire, for pot culture

The left party Québec solidaire, has also called on the government Couillard to allow the cultivation of cannabis plants in the home to prevent a cartel of the production, which is concentrated in the hands “of former ministers of the liberal Party of Canada and funded by tax havens”.

“I don’t think people are comfortable that it legalizes to take it away from organized crime, but put the profits in the hands of another form of economy is unacceptable, that is the economy at the service of the liberal friends”, said the member of parliament for QS, Amir Khadir, in a media scrum on Thursday.

Photo Simon Clark

Our office survey revealed at the end of January as wealthy anonymous investors to tax havens to pay for at least $ 165 million of the producers of cannabis authorized for use in Canada.

“I hope that Mrs. Charlebois is not pushed by the former ministers federal liberals”, also said Mr. Khadir.

The member for Mercier has not wanted to advance on the number of plants that he should be allowed to cultivate at home, preferring that, on this issue, we defer to experts. QS will present Thursday morning a motion requesting that the domestic production of cannabis is permitted.

– With the collaboration of Pascal Dugas-Bourdon