Tory senators not inclined to rush debate on bill to legalize cannabis
OTTAWA — Conservative senators are balking at an attempt to speed up consideration of a bill to legalize recreational marijuana, which the Trudeau government hopes to have in place this July.
Sen. Larry Smith, who leads the Conservative caucus in the Senate, indicated Wednesday that his senators need more time than the government wants to allow to do their duty as the official Opposition: to provide thorough and “constructive evaluation” of bills, particularly one as complicated and far-reaching as the cannabis legislation.
The government’s representative in the Senate, Sen. Peter Harder, served notice this week that he wants second reading debate on Bill C-45 wrapped up by March 1, after which it would go to committee for detailed examination before returning to the Senate for a final debate and vote.
If the various Senate factions don’t agree to that timetable, Harder warned he’ll move a motion to impose time allocation to cut off debate — a tactic he’s avoided using before now.