Minister says focus on legalization slows other court updates
Quebec’s justice minister says the rush to have regulations in place to deal with the federal government’s 10-month deadline to legalize marijuana is getting in the way of the province pursuing its own legislative agenda.
Stephanie Vallee says the tight timeline imposed by the Canadian government is asking a lot of her and her provincial counterparts, but Quebec needs to be ready regardless.
Quebec’s public consultations wrapped up two days ago and Vallee says she expects her government to unveil its regulatory framework in the coming months.
Last week, Ontario became the first province to go public with its plans for legalized cannabis, announcing its intention to restrict sales to stores operated by the provincial liquor board.
Marijuana legalization was on the agenda for Friday as justice ministers from the federal, provincial and territorial governments are meeting in Vancouver this week to discuss public safety.
Vallee says ministers broached the topic of court delays yesterday and that Quebec is asking for what she calls “bold changes” related to preliminary inquiries and case management.
Quebec is one of the provinces most affected by the Supreme Court of Canada’s Jordan decision, which imposed strict time limits on criminal prosecutions and has resulted in numerous cases being tossed out.
“We need to do more than just cosmetic changes,” she says. Growing flowers of cannabis intended for the medical marijuana market are shown at OrganiGram in Moncton.