Ottawa estimates up to 10,000 Canadians could be pardoned by proposed cannabis amnesty bill

Emma Spears - thegrowthop.com Posted 5 years ago
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Approximately 10,000 individuals are expected to apply for free pardons for convictions of cannabis possession incurred during prohibition if the federal government approves a bill to compensate those with criminal records, Ottawa is estimating.

 

  • Campbell: Two bills on criminal pardons. One of them gets it right
  • Federal legislation for cannabis-possession pardon not enough, critics say
  • Consider making some criminal pardons automatic, MPs recommend

 

Before legalization came into force last autumn, the possession of 30 g of cannabis or less was punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The federal government is proposing to waive the $631 fee, as well as the five-year wait, necessary to apply for a pardon.

 

  • Campbell: Two bills on criminal pardons. One of them gets it right
  • Federal legislation for cannabis-possession pardon not enough, critics say
  • Consider making some criminal pardons automatic, MPs recommend

 

Some critics are saying the move doesn’t go far enough, and that such records should be expunged, nor pardoned, and that the changes would only help a small number of affected Canadians. Even a minor cannabis-related offence can hinder an individual’s ability to find employment or travel outside of the country.

In the months before legalization came into force, The Globe and Mail reported the federal government made an attempt to estimate the number of Canadians who have criminal records as a result of possessing less than 30 g of cannabis, but were not successful.

Public Safety Minister spokesperson Scott Bardsley told the Globe that his department gleaned statistics from Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC), that deals with drug cases, pinpointing more than 250,000 convictions for Canadians charged with possession of 30 g or less of the drug. Only four percent of individuals in the aforementioned cases are expected to complete applications for the expedited pardons under Bill C-93, which has reached the House of Commons but has not been passed.

According to Bardsley, the majority of those convicted are not expected to apply for pardons as they have other criminal charges, have received a pardon already or are since deceased–and that his department “made several assumptions” to arrive at the 10,000 estimate.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Bill Blair estimated between 70,000 and 80,000 are expected to apply for a pardon.

 

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