Although Minister Garneau has been very clear that the provision would be used for emergencies, the concern is that there is no requirement that the provision be used for emergencies only in the future. It could potentially be used for indefinite exemptions. That creates a risk and an uncertainty about whether the exemption provision could be used to effectively circumvent the prohibitions of the act in future. That concern is real. For that reason, we've suggested those amendments—to ensure that it can achieve its purpose of providing for emergency supplies while not being misused.
On October 31st, 2017. See this statement in context.