OTTAWA – The Senate has voted to pass Bill C-45, the government’s legislation to legalize cannabis.
After more than a year of intensive study in both the House and Senate, the major social policy change has passed its final legislative hurdle, meaning that recreational marijuana will soon be legal across Canada.
The final vote was on a motion from Sen. Peter Harder, the Government Representative in the Senate, to accept the government’s position on the Senate's amendments and pass the bill as is. It was all that was left in a short round of legislative ping-pong spurred by the upper chamber amending the government legislation.
The House of Commons will be notified of the Senate’s decision. After that, all that is left will be Royal Assent to officially pass the bill.
Last week, the government announced it would be accepting most but not all of the Senate's more than 40 proposed amendments to Bill C-45. Among the 13 amendments that the federal Liberals rejected were the proposal to allow the provinces and territories to ban home-grown marijuana, and a proposed change to prohibit pot producers from distributing branded merchandise.
Earlier in the evening, an attempt by a Conservative senator to insist on an amendment to let provinces ban marijuana home cultivation failed.
Senators spent much of Tuesday offering their final thoughts on the legislation, with some expressing disappointment and frustration over MPs not accepting its changes, and raising remaining concerns with the legislation as it stands.
Others argued that the upper chamber had done its due diligence and that it was time to concede to the will of the elected House of Commons, and pass the legislation.
So is marijuana legal? No.
The bill still needs to receive Royal Assent, which is expected as soon as tomorrow. That is the final step -- essentially the Crown approving the bill. It’s overseen by Canada's representative, the Governor General.
Once it passes, the government is expected to declare the date that legalization will come into force and be applicable.
On CTV's Question Period, parliamentary secretary Bill Blair said he expects the date to be some time this September.
That window of time between when the bill passes and when it becomes federal law is to allow for the provinces, territories, municipalities, police forces, and other stakeholders to make sure their piece of the pot pie is operating in accordance with the new rules.
Blair said the date they decide on will be informed by discussions with their provincial and territorial counterparts, which have been given the ability to set regulations in their jurisdictions as to how a legalized marijuana regime will operate.
What you need to know:
Many of the decisions around how legalized marijuana is sold and used will be up to the provinces and territories. Here is what you need to know about what will be allowed: