Cannabis  Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister was selling the idea of legal marijuana, he said, “We need to make sure we're keeping our kids safe and keeping our communities safe by removing the black market and the criminal gangs and the street organizations from it.”

Veterans Affairs committee  We have found a decrease in prescribed medication, and so have some of the studies coming out of Purdue and so forth. We also looked at other types of substances, like alcohol, marijuana and things like that. The VAC study didn't, but again it was a preliminary first study. It was the same for us. I keep saying here is an exploratory; here's a preliminary. We are in our fifth year now.

Petitions  Speaker, it is a privilege today to table a petition on behalf of petitioners from Port Alberni. They are concerned about a Health Canada file that is open right now for a medical marijuana facility at 7827 Beaver Creek Road in Port Alberni. It is a Walmart-size cannabis facility that would be located right across the street from Kackaamin, a first nations family trauma and addictions healing centre, which is doing great work of healing from our shared history of colonialism and residential schools.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, my colleague and I do not always agree on things, clearly not on his desire for decriminalization, even though I very much support harm reduction in a variety of ways. Since we have gone ahead with the legalization of marijuana, and we have certainly helped a tremendous number of young people avoid incarceration, what has he seen during this period as to the implications, negative or positive, of the legalization of marijuana?

Veterans Affairs committee  Every time he went to a hospital, I had to get an MHA person involved. When the doctor tried to take him off some kind of medication and put him on medical marijuana, I had to get the MHA involved. I really don't have any answers for that, because the truth of it is that I had to use them for everything.

Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2020  In addition, violence against women and children is reaching alarming proportions, and then there are the pimps who go unpunished for exploiting child pornography. What about our young people since the government legalized marijuana? It still makes me sad to see the lines outside the Société québécoise du cannabis, often well before it opens. I am also against the Liberal government's quiet attempts to decriminalize hard drugs and prostitution.

Petitions  Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition on behalf of concerned Canadians, including my own constituents, who are tired and frustrated with inaction by the government to clamp down on illegal marijuana production, including the exploitation of medical marijuana permits. Our communities are becoming less safe and less liveable as organized crime outfits are taking advantage of a system full of loopholes and absent of any real compliance and enforcement measures.

Medical Marijuana  Madam Speaker, I will now present two petitions today from concerned citizens in Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon regarding the use of medical marijuana licences for industrial medical marijuana production in our neighbourhoods. People across my riding are very upset that medical marijuana licences are being used in neighbourhoods where kids live, close to schools.

Justice committee  I don't know. I think that, like the marijuana situation, they're going to still provide a service, because some are still going to go the criminal route. Those who can't afford to bet legally but can borrow money from organized crime groups will still go that way, so that's still a concern.

Business of Supply  Every time, the action the federal government asked Quebec to take was not in line with its reality or that of the other provinces. For example, when it comes to drugs, injection drugs and marijuana were issues that caused conflict. Quebec is clearly in the best position to understand the interests of seniors and the hard-working staff in its health care system. I worked in the community sector.

Medical Marijuana  I do want to remind members that we need to keep these brief because there are still others who want to present petitions. The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.

Justice committee  With the legalization of cannabis, we've heard from mayors and police chiefs across the province of the various loopholes that exist that are allowing for large marijuana grow-ops. Mr. Lewis, where do you foresee some of the areas where organized crime might be able to, for lack of a better term, do an end around on government-regulated sports betting?

Justice committee  I can't even begin to estimate the number of people—other experts out there would know—but there is a whole pile of Canadians who are betting and spending billions of dollars annually through systems now, which many wouldn't understand are, as I said, run by the Hells Angels or traditional organized crime groups—mafia, for lack of a better word. It's happening anyway. As I said, much as with marijuana or cannabis legalization, the situation is that people are doing it anyway. The choice the government has is to pull it out of that murky, clandestine, illegal marketplace, which facilitates other organized crime activity through the funding they gather, and bring it into a well-regulated and well-controlled safe environment in which the government actually makes profits that they can turn back into community programs and other things.

Petitions  My constituents call for reforms to the regime overseeing the production of cannabis for personal medical use and to give provinces and municipalities the resources and authority required to properly regulate and enforce these activities. My constituents do not accept that industrial medical marijuana operations should take place in residential neighbourhoods in Canada. The laws need to change. This has to stop.

Justice  Speaker, I would remind the member that when we introduced legislation to strictly regulate the production, distribution and consumption of cannabis, we left in place strong criminal sanctions against those who grow and distribute marijuana outside of the regulated regime. We are aware of concerns, and have listened to Canadians with concerns, about those who would abuse the provisions of the medical marijuana scheme that is in place.