Tax havens in the cannabis concerned the Senate

Photo Boris Proulx
The ministers of the Trudeau government Judy Wilson-Raybould (Justice), Ginette Petitpas Taylor (Health), Ralph Goodale (public Safety), and the parliamentary secretary, Bill Blair (at the rear) were estimated to have responded well to the questions of the senators.

Boris Proulx

Tuesday, 6 February 2018 23:12

UPDATE
Tuesday, 6 February 2018 23:12

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OTTAWA | ministers in the Trudeau government do not seem to have managed to reassure the senators on their proposed legalisation of cannabis, especially with regard to the presence of ex-liberal politicians and money to tax havens in the industry.

“Yes or no, are you going to ensure that we will know who is behind these assets that originate from tax havens,” has launched on Tuesday to thunderous applause from the senator quebec Serge Joyal.

Like him, his colleagues have followed closely for nearly two hours, the federal ministers responsible for the legalisation of cannabis, Judy Wilson-Raybould (Justice), Ginette Petitpas Taylor (Health), Ralph Goodale (public Safety), and the parliamentary secretary, Bill Blair, gathered for a rare time on Tuesday, before a Senate committee.

Transparency problem

Some of the questions took the tone of the confrontation, particularly on the revelations of our Bureau of investigation, according to which at least $ 165 million from anonymous investors based in tax havens, funding of the licensed producers of cannabis.

In the opinion of the honourable senator Joyal, it demonstrates that organized crime can go through tricks of accounting to continue to pull the strings of the industry of pot legal.

“I understand that Maurice “Mom” Boucher is not going to apply for a permit for Boucher cannabis Corporation “, a-t-il ironisé.

Minister Goodale has said worry about the transparency, but referred to the advice of government lawyers on the legal boundaries of publishing the names of all financial cannabis.

According to him, the measures already in place to fight money laundering in any canadian business.

Other senators have criticized aspects of the project, such as public health, the funding of the police forces in the region or the risk of lawsuits against the industry of cannabis, similar to those that have referred to that of tobacco.

The atmosphere was sometimes tense, as when a senator has cut the word to the minister, Wilson-Raybould said that she did not respond to questions.

Liberals involved

The conservative senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu is, for example, returned to the charge, stressing that a large number of former liberal politicians are now doing business or in the production of cannabis.

“Many of the licenses that have the people associated with the liberal Party have been given at the time of the previous Harper government. This is not a matter of partisanship, not at all, ” assured the minister Petitpas Taylor.

In his speech, the minister has also indicated that a period of 8 to 12 weeks will be necessary after the adoption of the draft law to buy his first joints in the shops legal, so that the companies cannabis can adjust.

This has made doubt of the senators, conservatives, in which the group is a minority in the Senate, that they will have time to review the draft of the legalization in time for July 2018.