Thank you, Mr. Davies, for raising the amendment.
One of the intents of the bill is to ensure that product quality and product safety requirements in the production of cannabis are in place. The task force on cannabis legalization and regulation produced almost unequivocal advice, I would say, that the federal regulation of cannabis production is essential, most importantly “to ensure that consumers in all regions of the country have access to quality-controlled products that are free from harmful...substances”. They were quite adamant about that.
The task force arrived at that conclusion following extensive consultation with stakeholders, including provinces and territories. I don't think we heard one province or territory say that they wanted permission or the authority to license production. Based on the advice of the task force, which is quite extensive, and based on the fact that they did talk to provinces and territories while we only heard from Saskatoon, I would support their position on it and would oppose the recommendation.