March 23, 2018
All Conservative Senators voted against the legislation, while nearly all of the so-called ‘independent’ senators voted with the Liberals.
By a 44-29 vote, legislation to legalize marijuana passed in the Senate on second reading, and will now head to five various committees.
All the Conservative Senators – and former Senator Mike Duffy – voted against it, while the Liberal Senators, and all of the supposedly ‘independent’ Senators voted to pass the legislation forward.
Before the vote, the Liberals had recalled Senators who were out of town and urged them to come back, as there had been concerns in the government that the Conservatives would block the legislation – which would have forced it back to the drawing board.
It will now be moved to the committee stage, where the Conservatives say they will put forth amendments to address concerns about the legislation.
While Trudeau’s initial promise to legalize marijuana proved popular among many Canadians, there have been escalating worries about the impact of the policy, particularly on impaired driving and the effect of marijuana on the brains of young people.
Despite those concerns, the Trudeau Liberals have so far shown little interest in listening to the views of the Opposition and worried Canadians.
Spencer Fernando
