Thank you very much.
Mr. Chairman, this particular amendment omits the words “other than this section”. This clause says that “the Minister may, on any terms and conditions” consider an exemption from “the application of any or all of the provisions of this Act” other than the section below, and basically that's the section where we get into the a to z that we've debated a lot with witnesses.
Our amendment would make it clear that, in effect, taking out “other than this section” would allow the minister the discretion to act quickly and to more easily set up consumption sites if the minister were of the belief, based on the information before her, that it was in the public interest and was medically necessary to do so. It's really allowing the minister discretion to do that. The amendment also adds “otherwise in the public interest” for inclusion in the language. Again, this is to ensure that there's a broader application by saying that the minister can consider what that “public interest” is.
That's the purpose of this amendment.