1. Justice Canada's Response to a Request for Information Made by The
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
1. Justice Canada’s response to a request for information made by the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs on March 28, 2018 Question: Senator Batters: Minister, to try to justify pushing through your marijuana legalization bill — not decriminalization, but legalization — the Trudeau government has perpetuated a narrative which now appears to be inaccurate. On June 6, 2017, you said in the House of Commons: Canada has the highest number of young people smoking cannabis. Also on that day, you said: The reality is that, right now, Canada has the highest rates of young people using cannabis . On April 12, 2017, Prime Minister Trudeau said: There is higher per capita use by under-age Canadians than kids in any other country. And on December 17, 2017, the Prime Minister said: Right now, Canada has the highest use of marijuana by underage people in the developed world. This narrative went unchallenged until recently when Conservative senators pushed back. We learned that claims were based on a 2013 UNICEF report which attributed its data to an unnamed 2008 report from your own department, the Department of Justice. But your department confirmed that they had no such data and Statistics Canada said the same thing: no such data. As well, the UNICEF stats are contradicted by numerous other studies which show a steady decline in youth usage over the last decade in Canada, while marijuana remains illegal. So, in fact, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ranks Canada sixth, not worst. Given this, minister, will you now agree that the Trudeau government’s push to legalize marijuana was predicated on a false, underlying narrative — a narrative which you have recently started to soften? Ms. Wilson-Raybould: Thank you, senator. I do not agree. We are pushing forward with the legalization of cannabis and the strict regulation of cannabis to achieve the objectives that the Prime Minister and I have articulated to ensure that we keep cannabis out of the hands of children and the proceeds out of the hands of criminals. I know, senator, that the question that you raised around UNICEF and statistics is one that was raised with my officials last week, and we will be providing that answer to you and the honourable senators forthwith. Response (EN): With regards to the 2013 UNICEF Canadian Companion Report, “Child-Well-Being in Rich Countries: A comparative overview Canadian Companion” (Companion Report) the data source of the statistic in question (28% youth reporting having used cannabis in the last 12 months) is the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: World Health Organization Collaborative Cross- National Study - 2009/2010 survey. More information can be found in the Health Behaviour in School–aged Children Study Protocol: Background, Methodology and Mandatory Items for the 2009/2010 Survey. As a note of clarification, the Department of Justice Canada is not cited in the Companion Report as the source for the statistic relating to cannabis youth use rates. Rather it is cited in endnote 4 as the source for the statistic relating to youths charged with a cannabis offence in 2006. The appropriate citation for youth use rates should be: Taylor-Butts, Andrea and Angela Bressan. 2008. “Youth Crime in Canada, 2006” Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002- X. Réponse (FR): En ce qui a trait au rapport de l'UNICEF sur les Compagnons canadiens 2013, «Le bien-être des enfants dans les pays riches: un aperçu comparatif Canadian Companion» (Rapport) la source de données de la statistique en question (28% des jeunes ayant déclaré avoir consommé du cannabis au cours des 12 derniers mois), est le Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: World Health Organization Collaborative Cross-National Study - 2009/2010 survey (seulement disponible en anglais). De plus amples renseignements au sujet de l’enquête HBSC 2009/2010 se trouvent dans le Health Behaviour in School–aged Children Study Protocol: Background, Methodology and Mandatory Items for the 2009/2010 Survey (seulement disponible en Anglais). À des fins de précision, le ministère de la Justice du Canada n’est pas cité dans le Rapport en étant la source de la statistique qui concerne le taux d’usage de cannabis des jeunes. Cependant, il est mentionné dans la citation utilisée dans la note 4 en bas de page du Rapport qui réfère aux statistiques des jeunes accusés d'une infraction liée au cannabis en 2006. La citation appropriée pour le taux d’usage de cannabis des jeunes devrait être la suivante: Taylor- Butts, Andrea and Angela Bressan. 2008. “Youth Crime in Canada, 2006” Juristat. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X. 2. Justice Canada’s response to a request for information made by the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs on March 28, 2018 Question: Senator Carignan: The task force report noted that consultation participants were much more likely to be male, English-speaking, living outside of Quebec. Page 84. Could you talk to us about the consultation for Aboriginal groups and people? Who was consulted? Ms. Wilson-Raybould: I know, senator, that the task force did consult with Indigenous communities. I believe we provided a record of the communities that were consulted. I’d be happy to provide that again. In addition to the consultation that occurred within the task force, the Minister of Health is, on an ongoing basis, continuing to engage with Indigenous communities, has provided, by way of resources, one of the national organizations with resources to form a task force to engage with Indigenous communities across the country. That task force will provide a report to the minister. But the consultations with Indigenous communities is ongoing, and I would say, with respect to the task force and the report that they did, they consulted with an extraordinary number of individuals, as did we, as have the three ministers and the parliamentary secretaries engaged across the country. Response (EN): Both the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation, as well as the Government of Canada, have consulted widely and regularly with Indigenous communities. The table below provides a list of events where engagement has taken place to date. Table: Summary of Engagement and Consultation Meetings with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Governments, Organizations and Communities on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Date Task Force: Indigenous Participation Government of Roundtables Canada Participants August 25, Halifax Expert The Assembly of Nova Scotia Task Force 2016 Roundtable Mi’kmaq Chiefs August 29, Toronto Expert Chiefs of Ontario Task Force 2016 Roundtable September 1, Vancouver Expert First Nations Health Authority Task Force 2016 Roundtable, Day 1 September 2, Vancouver Expert Vancouver Aboriginal Task Force 2016 Roundtable, Day 2 Friendship Centre Society October 7, Indigenous Métis National Council Task Force 2016 Roundtable First Nations Chiefs of Police Association Listuguj Mi'gmaq Government First Nations Elders Assembly of First Nations Congress of Aboriginal Peoples Page 1 of 10 November 1, Meeting Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Health Canada 2016 Officials, Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Secretariat (CLRS) Date Engagement Organizations Government of Meetings, Forum Canada Participants and Events February 28, Panel Presentation Chiefs of Ontario Health Canada 2017 at Annual Health Officials, Forum CLRS June 19, 2017 Teleconference Aboriginal Shelters of Ontario Health Canada Officials, CLRS June 29, 2017 Presentation, Assembly of First Nations Health Canada Q&As Officials, CLRS Chiefs Committee on Health July 7, 2017 Teleconference National Indigenous Medical Health Canada Cannabis Association Officials, CLRS July 11, 2017 Presentation, Assembly of First Nations Health Canada Qs&As Officials, Mental Wellness Committee CLRS July 21, 2017 Presentation, Mohawk Council of Health Canada Discussion Akwesasne Officials, CLRS August 3, Meeting, Assembly of First Nations, Health Canada 2017 information Health Division Officials, CLRS sharing August 18, Meeting, Métis National Council liaison Health Canada 2017 information Officials, CLRS sharing August 29, Telephone meeting Thunderbird Partnership Health Canada 2017 Foundation Officials, CLRS September 7, Meeting, First Nations Health Health Canada 2017 information Managers Association Officials, CLRS sharing September Meeting, Burns Lake First Nation Health Canada 12, 2017 discussion Proposal – Project Team Officials, Office of Medical Cannabis (OMS), and CLRS September Meeting, Assembly of First Nations, Health Canada 13, 2017 information Economic Partnerships Officials, CLRS sharing Division September Panel Presentation, Assembly of First Nations of Health Canada 19, 2017 Q&As Quebec and Labrador and the Officials, CLRS First Nations and Inuit Health and Social Service Commission September Presentation, Six Nations Health Canada 25, 2017 Q&As Officials, CLRS Page 2 of 10 September Meeting, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Health Canada 27, 2017 information Officials, CLRS sharing October 11, Presentation, Council of Yukon First Health Canada 2017 Q&As Nations Officials, CLRS, Legal Services November 10, Partnership Participants attended from: Health Canada 2017 Symposium on Assembly of First Nations, Officials, Cannabis Public Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Métis Education and National Council, Awareness Thunderbird Partnership Foundation, Youth Solvent Abuse Committee, First Nations Health Authority (British Columbia) November 15, Presentation, Nishnawbe Aski Nation Health Canada 2017 Qs&As