Who's Left out of Canada's Booming Cannabis Capitalism?
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Highs lows Who’s left out of Canada’s booming cannabis capitalism? CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES MARCH/APRIL 2018 $6.95 Contributors John Akpata is an Ottawa Nick Falvo is Director Kate McInturff is a senior spoken word artist and Peace of Research and Data at researcher with the CCPA Officer with the Marijuana the Calgary Homeless and Director of the Making Party of Canada. Foundation. Women Count project. Vol. 24, No. 6 Bruce Campbell is the former Elaine Hughes is an Keith Reynolds is the ISSN 1198-497X Canada Post Publication 40009942 executive director of the environmental activist former national research Canadian Centre for Policy in several non-profit representative for the The Monitor is published six times Alternatives. In 2015, he was organizations including Canadian Union of Public a year by the Canadian Centre for awarded a Law Foundation the Council of Canadians, Employees and a CCPA-BC Policy Alternatives. of Ontario Fellowship for his where she chairs the Quill research associate. The opinions expressed in the work on the Lac-Mégantic Plains (Wynard) chapter in Erika Shaker is Director of Monitor are those of the authors disaster, and spent 2016 Saskatchewan. and do not necessarily reflect Education and Outreach with at the University of Ottawa the views of the CCPA. Asad Ismi covers the CCPA. law faculty. He is currently international affairs for the Please send feedback to writing a book on this Michelle Weinroth is an [email protected]. Monitor, with a focus on tragedy. author and teacher. Her Western imperialism, and Editor: Stuart Trew published work focuses Benjamin Christensen resistance to it, in the Global Senior Designer: Tim Scarth on 19th and 20th century is a sociology lecturer South. Layout: Susan Purtell propaganda. Editorial Board: Peter Bleyer, at UBC, Douglas College Seth Klein is Director of the Alyssa O’Dell, Seth Klein, Kate and Kwantlen Polytechnic Rita Wong is a poet- CCPA-BC. McInturff, Erika Shaker, Emily Turk University. He completed his scholar and the co-editor, CCPA National Office: doctoral dissertation in 2016, Joel Lexchin, MSc, MD, is with Dorothy Christian, HELP US SHED LIGHT ON THE 500-251 Bank St., Ottawa, examining pension policy Professor Emeritus at the of the creative anthology ON K2P 1X3 reform in Canada over the School of Health Policy and Downstream: Reimagining tel: 613-563-1341 past 50 years. Management, York University, Water (Wilfrid Laurier fax: 613-233-1458 an emergency physician University Press, 2017). 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Haida Territory. Telephone (Required) Email Yes, I prefer to receive my tax receipt Please do not trade my name with other and updates by email. organizations. REGISTERED CHARITY #124146473 RR0001 TABLE OF CONTENTS March/April 2018 A complicated marijuana legalization is enriching a new class of white cannabis entrepreneurs while leaving those on whose backs the fledgling “legitimate” industry was built languishing in prison or stuck with criminal records. John Akpata looks at the cops, capitalists and regulatory kinks that are taking the shine off decriminalization—and what the government could do to fix it.18 BEHIND THE NUMBERS As Lac-Mégantic trial lands The B.C. NDP and Site C: Public backs overdue positive verdict, the hard Two perspectives minimum wage hike work begins Seth Klein and Rita Wong 28 Erika Shaker 6 Bruce Campbell 15 A history of pensions and possible future for retirement Getting to know Canada’s COLUMNS National Housing Strategy security in Canada Nick Falvo 7 Alternate Futures: Benjamin Christensen 32 Gambling in home ownership Does China’s One Belt, One Another audit slams P3s— Robin Shaban 13 B.C. take notice Road initiative have a notch Keith Reynolds 9 Below the Fold: The public for Canada? foundations of internet Asad Ismi 36 Should Manitobans dynasties trust nuclear burials? Cynthia Khoo 16 BOOKS Anne Lindsey 11 Work Life: Today’s coders, Michelle Weinroth presents IN THE NEWS tomorrow’s precariat another case for Ilan Pappe 41 Lynne Fernandez The #metoo moment for 40 Freethinker: The Life and Works of Éva Circé-Côté Canadian politics FEATURES Kate McInturff14 Reviewed by Roxanne Dubois 44 Canada’s drug cost crisis can be regulated Joel Lexchin 25 Editorial 2 | Letters 3 | New From the CCPA 4 | Index 17 | Good News Page 38 From the Editor STUART TREW Doing it for the money OVERNMENTS COME AND go, the state presidential win, at least in so far as it announced in February, left environ- grinds on—and can grind down was “positive news for the Canadian mental groups scratching their heads: even the most modest ambitions energy sector with regard to a poten- shouldn’t the government’s priority Gfor change in the hearts of incom- tial increase in energy trade.” And be protecting fragile ecosystems, ing MPs and their parties. Whether this Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr like our oceans and coastal regions, is the Trudeau government’s problem said in mid-February he’ll use “all tools and eventually transitioning the is debatable. I mean, how much federal available” to make sure the BC NDP Canadian economy off of fossil fuels? waffling and sidestepping—on things can’t postpone or cancel the Kinder Actually, no. The reforms were about like arms sales, “progressive trade,” and Morgan pipeline expansion, which restoring public trust and “investor especially climate change—is due to the federal government proclaims to confidence” in the consultation pro- inertia within an industry-captured be in the national interest. cess. “And when you have confidence, state and how much simply a product As inconsistent as these plans are you’re not going to get everyone of deeply held beliefs about what gov- with the Trudeau government’s ob- on-side, but people are going to feel ernments do? jective of meeting Canada’s climate heard,” said Minister McKenna on The Liberals agree wholeheartedly, obligations under the Paris Agreement, Global News. for example, with the nonsensical they should not come as a surprise to There’s a reason the world’s cor- oil industry view that the path to anyone. The Liberals have constitently porate class has been riding Prime lowering greenhouse gas emissions in claimed that the main problem with Minister Trudeau’s coattails since Canada runs through new pipelines Canada’s environmental assessment the 2015 election. Optimism is conta- carrying expanded tar sands produc- process is it discourages investment gious. While markets have more than tion to Gulf refineries and West Coast and fails to “get resources to market,” rebounded since 2008-09, and Cana- export terminals. Government memos as Prime Minister Trudeau wrote in his da’s economy witnessed a late-2017 jolt obtained by Greenpeace Canada and 2015 mandate letter to Environment that pushed unemployment down and reported in The Guardian (U.K.) this Minister Catherine McKenna. GDP growth up, we’re hardly out of the winter show the Trudeau government Such views, reflected in reforms to swamp. The federal government ex- was enthusiastic about Trump’s 2016 the major project approvals process pects growth to drop back down again Leave a legacy that reflects your lifelong convictions. A legacy gift is a gift with lasting meaning.