It has been said that this bill, this initiative, is an experiment. I disagree. It puts an end to an experiment that began 90 years ago, an experiment that was initiated without debate or study, or any evidence to justify it, simply by adding cannabis to a list of prohibited substances.
But 90 years is too great a distance to travel in one giant step. There are 90 years of history to overcome, and 90 years of societal attitudes, myths, and misunderstandings to change. It's too much to achieve in one great leap. In order to succeed, in the end, we need to follow a middle course.
That's what this bill attempts to do, in my view. It's a transformational bill, but I believe it's also a transitional bill. I don't expect that this will be the final step along this path. I think that it will be appropriate to revisit this as we go forward, and that's what this amendment intends to do. It is to mandate a review in three years' time so that we can make any course adjustments, as may seem warranted, from the new perspective and experience we will have gained at that time.
This amendment is modelled after a similar provision in the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act and the Public Service Employment Act. It would give us a chance to adjust our course as we go forward.
Thank you.