Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has sent a detailed mandate to his new cabinet, and one of those orders is to legalize cannabis.
In a letter to Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, Trudeau writes that he expects her to deliver on top priorities, and cannabis policy is on that list.
“Working with the Ministers of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and Health, create a federal-provincial-territorial process that will lead to the legalization and regulation of marijuana,” Trudeau said in the mandate letter.
That instruction is one of many the new Liberal prime minister spelled out Friday to the 30 members of his cabinet.
The order to the Justice Minister comes a day after an RCMP crackdown on cannabis dispensaries in Nanaimo, with owners getting letters telling them to shut down within seven days or risk criminal charges.
When asked today about the RCMP’s actions in Nanaimo, Wilson-Raybould said she was not aware and plans to speak with the Public Safety Minister.