One of the top priorities of Canada’s recently elected government will be pursuing the legalization of marijuana, the country’s prime minister said Friday in an address before parliament.
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One paragraph in the speech drew attention for its reference to specific measures-ones that the speech promised the new government will not take.
The brief speech read by Gov. Gen. David Johnston echoed the same optimistic themes of the winning Liberal campaign; openness and diversity. Its contents will be scrutinized, however, in terms of the priority given to some promises, while other election pledges are not specifically mentioned.
CIBC Capital Markets Chief Economist Avery Shenfeld said in a note on Friday that the Liberals should let their initial deficit rise to C$17 billion to give the economy an extra lift.
The Liberals also promised to “renew” Canada’s commitment to “United Nations peacekeeping operations, and will continue to work with its allies in the fight against terrorism”. He has also promised to amend the legislation so that it’s clear that legal protests or advocacy can’t be construed as terrorist activities.
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“This is the fair thing to do, and the smart thing to do for Canada’s economy”, Johnston said.
The speech said the government would create a new “nation-to-nation relationship” with indigenous peoples.
Trudeau’s win in October effectively ended conservatives’ hold on the government.
“The Government will introduce legislation that… will legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana”, Johnson said, Canadian Global News reports.
The government promised to “support CBC/Radio-Canada, encourage and promote the use of Canada’s official languages, and invest in Canada’s cultural and creative industries”. “The trust Canadians have in public intuitions – including Parliament – has, at times, been compromised”.
Facilitate a more open and transparent government. This will include consulting on and implementing electoral reforms. The government is also promising a new system to appoint Senators and more open debates and free votes in the House of Commons. “If there were 60,000 job losses in southern Ontario right now, it would have been mentioned in this speech from the throne”.
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Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said she will hear the address for the first time when it is delivered in the Upper Chamber but she points out that the prime minister has signalled clearly and often that the relationship with aboriginal peoples “is the most important relationship to him and to Canada”.
