At the beginning of June, the Senate gave the Trudeau government’s cannabis bill a stamp of approval.

However, the federal Liberal government of Canada has now rejected amendments made to the Cannabis Act (Bill C-45) by the Senate.

Although the majority of the changes will be accepted by the Liberal government, the final bill is unlikely to include the most debatable changes, which amount to almost a dozen.

Canada’s cannabis industry welcomes the Senate’s version of the Cannabis Act

When Conservative senators expressed their concern for the legalization of cannabis, calling the idea “catastrophic,” the Senate didn’t pay much attention. Instead, the Senate went ahead and gave the final version of the Trudeau government’s cannabis bill a big thumbs up.

The final vote was passed at 52 to 29. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Canadians can just light up anywhere, however. Not yet anyway.

Once the bill receives Royal Assent, the Canadian government must decide on a date for the law to be implemented. While the date remains unknown, it is rumored to be sometime in September.

What amendments will Canada’s Liberal government refuse?

The Liberal government plans to dismiss the following amendments:

• Requiring approval from the parliament for new cannabis products, e.g. infused cannabis products and edibles
• Restricting cannabis branding on anything other than packaging and accessories, otherwise known as “brand stretching”
• Providing regulators with the power to limit THC strength for specific products
• Publicizing shareholder names, if the shareholder owns more than five percent of a cannabis company’s shares (in any class)
• Giving provinces the authority to ban home cannabis cultivation

Four-plant limit on home-grown cannabis cultivation in Canada

So, why did the Senate make the aforementioned amendments to Bill C-45?

Well, the primary goal was to sidestep legal issues pertaining to home cultivation.

However, the Liberal government has not approved of the changes, meaning that Canadians will be legally allowed to cultivate a maximum of four plants inside their household when Canada’s cannabis law goes into effect.

Provinces and territories were not informed about the legalization framework prior to submitting the bill for review – something that Conservative Sen. Ghislain Maltais believes the government should have done.

Maltais says that the dismissal of the Senate’s home-growing draft “flies in the face” of provinces that have decided to forbid home cannabis cultivation in their jurisdictions, such as Manitoba and Quebec.

Chances of Trudeau government changing its mind are small

Will the Trudeau government consider the potential problems that forced home cannabis cultivation might cause and instead, go ahead with the Senate’s amendments to Bill C-45?

Independent Sen. André Pratte says the “odds” are “very small.” Pratte has alerted senators that they could “trigger a political crisis” if public opinion becomes divided.

“The Senate’s credibility is fragile, as you know. Any faux pas at this stage could risk the modest gains that we have made,” said Pratte.

He thinks that the Senate can avoid an “arm wrestling match” if the courts are left to decide which jurisdictions permit home cannabis cultivation in Canada.