(Ottawa) Liberals, Bloc and New Democrats rejected Tuesday a motion from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre aimed at Ottawa refusing any future request for decriminalization of simple possession of drugs.
The official opposition was the only political group to support the initiative, which was therefore defeated by a majority.
The motion referred to municipalities, such as Montreal, which have spoken out in favor of the decriminalization approach. This amounts to avoiding a criminal record and sanctions for people found with small quantities of drugs for their personal use, like what British Columbia had started to do.
The Conservatives, in the text they submitted on the floor of the House of Commons, however mention requests “for the federal government to make deadly hard drugs legal.”
In fact, no call for the legalization of all drugs has been made by municipalities and provinces to Justin Trudeau’s government, which legalized cannabis in 2018. In this case, a legal and regulated market for the sale and distribution of marijuana has emerged.
The Conservatives’ choice of words led the office of Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante to criticize Mr. Poilievre two weeks ago for making “false statements.”
Called, at that time, to react, the Conservative leader’s office responded that “the mayor of Montreal has confirmed her desire to legalize hard drugs.”
In 2021, Montreal elected officials adopted a motion to ask Ottawa to allow the decriminalization of simple possession. Mme Plante voted in favor and has since reiterated her support for the approach several times.
However, no action was then made to Health Canada, which must, for decriminalization to become a reality, grant an exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
M’s press secretaryme Plante, Catherine Cadotte, declared that “the conditions are not met in Montreal”.
“Before changing laws, it is essential to provide cities with more resources in housing, mental health, addiction and social intervention,” she continued in a written statement.
It is not clear what would happen to a formal request from Montreal – if it ever materialized – since Mr. Trudeau has clearly said he wants to work with the provincial levels of government on this issue.
“When Vancouver asked us for an exemption, we said, ‘No, we only want to work with the province on this issue.’ […] The same thing [prévaudra] regarding Ontario or Quebec,” he said at the beginning of the month.
Ottawa has since rejected a request from the City of Toronto citing concerns about public safety.
When Ottawa granted its exemption to British Columbia in the spring of 2022, the government of François Legault signaled that decriminalization was not in its plans.
There is no doubt in the eyes of Conservatives that the exemption granted by the Trudeau government to British Columbia “resulted in death and destruction, chaos and carnage in hospitals, playgrounds, parks and public transportation,” said Poilievre spokesperson Marion Ringuette recently.