Bill Blair to spearhead the feds’ efforts to legalize marijuana
Posted January 8, 2016 9:29 am.
Last Updated January 8, 2016 10:46 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Former Toronto Police chief and now Liberal MP Bill Blair has been asked to take charge of the Trudeau government’s plan to legalize marijuana.
He isn’t a cabinet minister, but Blair is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, so it makes sense he would spearhead the legalization plan.
Appointing a former police chief to lead these efforts may be an attempt from the Liberals to calm some fears Canadians may have, but Conservative Justice Critic Rob Nicholson says it doesn’t change anything for the Opposition.
“It makes no difference who is put in charge of this… on the question of legalizing marijuana, we’ve been against it and we’ve been consistent on that.”
To develop a strategy, Blair will likely have to sit down with officials from law enforcement, health care, and provincial governments. He would also likely study rules in other jurisdictions that have already legalized the drug.
It’s not clear when we would actually see legislation.
