New internal trade deal tills soil for cross-Canada marijuana regulation
Governments across Canada will unveil an internal-trade agreement Friday designed to not only knock down domestic business barriers, but also lay the groundwork for talks to eventually establish a cross-country marijuana market.
Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains says the long-awaited deal, meant to boost economic growth, will also establish a clear process to help provinces and territories regulate the trade of recreational pot.
Those discussions can only come, of course, once the federal government legalizes marijuana with legislation that government insiders have said would be introduced next week.
Once Ottawa moves forward with legalization, the Canada Free Trade Agreement will offer a transparent mechanism to help provinces and territories discuss standards that will include “making sure that there’s more choice and better price points,” said Bains.
“It’s really about … having an open market,” he said in an interview Wednesday. “It’s all about, again, eliminating any red tape...
