I don't know if this speaks exactly to the amendment, but we didn't hear a lot of evidence on clause 11, but this is the proposed subsection that says:
11 (1) Unless authorized under this Act, the importation or exportation of cannabis is prohibited.
From the New Democrats' point of view, and I think from that of the Conservatives as well, the fact that the Liberals limited evidence on this groundbreaking, centuries old, changing of legislation to five days of hearings, and to those who may be listening, saying that there are 90 witnesses sounds like a lot of witnesses, but when you have 35 million Canadians and many groups and stakeholders who were shut out of testifying before this committee, including ordinary Canadians, young Canadians, licensed producers, and edibles manufacturers, of whom we heard none, it leaves gaping holes in this legislation and sections of this bill on which we're left without any testimony at all.
I've been wondering, since those days of hearings, what the rationale behind prohibiting exportation of cannabis and cannabis products would be.
In my research for this I have talked to licensed producers who have licences from the federal government, distributors who distribute in British Columbia, licensed dispensaries, and manufacturers. We had a number of excellent witnesses testify before this committee who have decades of experience in cannabis products, and also in the medicinal use of it as well as in the different products that go along with it—the creams, the tinctures, the sublingual tablets, the nasal sprays, and the vaporizer pans for those who don't want to smoke. They tell me that there are billions and billions of dollars at stake for Canada to become a world leader in responsible cannabis products. They tell me that Canada, right now, if we do get our legislation right, should be able to export our responsible and research-based products certainly to countries or jurisdictions that have legalized cannabis.
We know that Uruguay has. We know Portugal has decriminalized all drugs, although I'm not sure that I understand exactly what they've done. Once California legalizes cannabis, it will be legal from the Mexican border to the Arctic Circle, really everywhere but the border between B.C. and Washington. Yet we are hamstringing what could be a sustainable, science-based, very lucrative, innovative, technologically driven industry and we're saying that Canada can't export any of that to the world.
Again, I wish we had heard a single witness who could have testified what the rationale of this prohibition is and why it's considered a wise course of action. I didn't hear any, so I'm left with only my own experience talking to people who tell me that we're actually risking Canadian entrepreneurs' and Canadian industrial technology's current advantage in the world. Surely other jurisdictions in the world are not far behind Canada and will be starting to develop cannabis products that are safe, that are properly dosed, and that are legal for either medicinal use or otherwise.
I don't know if anybody from the department can speak to why we are, in this bill, banning the exportation of cannabis at least to other willing jurisdictions that would legalize it.
I'd like to know if there are any thoughts on that.