In an appearance before the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, the CBA offered its views on Bill C-45, Cannabis Act.
While the CBA generally supports the amendments adopted by the House, it continues to have the concerns raised in the September 2017 submission. These concerns include:
- The Bill continues to rely on heavy criminal penalties, even higher than what would be levied for the parallel offences under current law. The 14 year maximum sentences for several offences also means that alternative sentencing, like conditional sentencing orders and discharges, are unavailable in many cases.
- The Bill is complex and confusing, and the line between what’s permitted and what’s punishable by a heavy penalty isn’t always clear or logical.
- The Bill often ignores the geographic realities of Canada – setting up outlets in urban centres, but limiting what people who live far from those centres can carry back in their vehicles is an example.
Read the submission