The opposition is concerned about possible cronyism between the PLC and the industry of cannabis

PHOTO AGENCE QMI, MATTHEW USHERWOOD

Maxime Huard

Tuesday, 30 January 2018 18:03

UPDATE
Tuesday, 30 January 2018 18:06

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OTTAWA | few months of the legalization of marijuana in the country, the opposition federal sniffs a scandal in the presence of many relatives of the liberal Party of Canada (LPC) within the industry of cannabis. The Trudeau government, he minimizes the scope of these links.

• READ ALSO: The ex-minister of Health Pierre Pettigrew linked to the industry of the pot

“We have seen with the sponsorship scandal in the past, it looks like it is in the culture of liberal friends who take advantage of the system”, has denounced the conservative mp Alain Rayes, accusing the party of favouring his relatives so that they have an edge over the other investors.

The Journal de Montreal revealed on Tuesday that Pierre Pettigrew, former federal minister of Health, and tenor liberal era of the Chrétien-Martin, was one of the main administrators of Belgravia Capital International. The firm is funding a loyalty program for consumers and producers of cannabis.

This name is added among others to those of three other liberal ministers of Health in the industry of cannabis, as well as those of the former liberal cabinet minister Martin Cauchon and former treasurer of PLC, Chuck Rifici.

For the ndp, all of these individuals related to the party may justify the willingness, maligned of all units of government to adopt bill C-45 by July. “Is this that it responds to the pressures of his friends? It would explain why the liberals remain impervious to the demands of the provinces to postpone the legalization later”, noted the mp for Rosemont, Alexandre Boulerice.

The bloquiste Rhéal Fortin has been compared to a puzzle, with the revelations about former liberals, saying that they were starting to see the “big picture”.

At a press conference in Parliament, the prime minister of Canada recalled that “a lot of people are investing in the industry. “Julian Fantino is in no way a former liberal,” pointed out

Justin Trudeau, in reference to the former minister conservative, which launched last November a company of medical cannabis.

Those who accuse the government of having links incest with elders of the party are of the “political-fiction”, for its part, supported, the minister of the Family, Jean-Yves Duclos.

The minister of national Revenue, Diane Lebouthillier, has denied that there was a malaise within the cabinet in the face of the presence of former liberals in the industry.

The government has also remained elusive Tuesday as concerns related to investment from tax havens in the industry of cannabis. “Tax fairness is of paramount importance for Canadians. We will continue to work in this direction”, said Ms. Lebouthillier.