Ietsenhaienhs Perron to appear before Senate Committee regarding Cannabis Act

10/05/2022

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) wishes to inform the community that Ietsenhaienhs (elected chief) Tonya Perron will be in Ottawa this evening in response to an invitation by the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples to appear as part of a panel of witnesses regarding the implementation of the federal Cannabis Act.

The panel will convene from 6:45pm to 7:45pm at the Senate of Canada.

Witnesses will be asked to give a 5-minute opening statement, followed by a question-and-answer session with the members of the committee.

“This is an important step in the review process of the Cannabis Act as we will have the opportunity to directly provide feedback on the impacts of this legislation on our community and to advocate for legislative reform,” said Ietsénhaienhs Perron, who is the lead on the Cannabis file on behalf of the MCK. “The legalization of recreational cannabis has presented  a number of challenges on many fronts. Issues regarding jurisdiction, regulation of the industry and impacts on health and public safety have emerged or have been amplified since the legalization. The Federal government needs to take a serious look at these impacts during this legislative review.”

Below are some sites on this topic community members may find useful. The third link is a questionnaire.

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2022/09/government-of-canada-launches-legislative-review-of-the-cannabis-act.html

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/programs/indigenous-engagement-approach-cannabis-act-legislative-review/document.html