A senate committee report is asking that the federal government delay cannabis legalization (Bill C-45) by one year due to concerns regarding a lack of “meaningful consultation” with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.
Over five meetings, the committee heard from a diverse group of 23 witnesses, including six Indigenous organizations, four First Nations, three regional Indigenous organizations, two Inuit Elders, and two Indigenous cannabis industry groups, among others.
Several representatives stressed that “consultation to date was inadequate,” the report reads.
The committee discussed a range of issues “specific to Indigenous communities concerning the proposed legalization of cannabis.” Those issues include “a lack of consultation with Indigenous communities in the development of Bill C-45,” as well as a lack of public educational materials explaining the legalization and health effects of cannabis.
“It’s going to result in more criminalization.”
Mary Bird, Executive Director of Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services, a legal aid provider which serves 49 First Nations in northern Ontario, says the rules and regulations around legalization need to be made absolutely clear.
“People will hear that marijuana is legal. We know that the average person on the street, that’s all they will hear,” Bird says in the report. “[But] without any education, they are not going to realize that there are all these rules and regulations that you could have four plants, only you can’t sell it. You have to be licensed.”
“It’s going to result in more criminalization, quite frankly.”
The report also cites a desire from Indigenous communities to “fully participate in the economic opportunities and own source revenue potential” brought on by the legalization of cannabis, as well as the need to recognize their jurisdiction over how cannabis is regulated and sold in those communities.
The report concludes by recommending a delay on implementing Bill C-45 for one year so that First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, and the Government of Canada can negotiate and agree on ways to address the issues raised.
Earlier this year, the Senate brought Bill C-45 to a vote on second reading; it passed with 44 in favour and 29 opposed.
UPDATE: On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that the federal government is “going to be moving forward this summer on the legalization of cannabis,” despite the Senate’s call for a delay.
“Obviously, as I’ve said many times, this is not an event, this is a process, and we will continue to work with our partners in the municipalities, in provinces and Indigenous leadership in communities to make sure we’re doing this right and moving forward in a responsible way,” Trudeau said.
