David Hill grows marijuana outside of the Vancouver Art Gallery.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Breaking down the Liberals' marijuana legislation
The Liberals tabled their marijuana legalization legislation yesterday. If passed – July 1, 2018 has been set as a soft deadline – Canada would become only the second country in the world, after Uruguay, to legalize marijuana nationwide. Here's what you need to know:
Youth: The minimum purchase age has been set at 18, but provinces will be able to set a higher bar. People who are caught selling cannabis to youth could face up to 14 years in jail.
Driving: Police will be able to take "oral fluid samples" from drivers who are suspected to be using marijuana or other drugs. Offences for those under the influence would be based on the level of THC in their blood. The Liberals also detailed new police permissions aimed at addressing drunk driving.
Availability: Canadians would be able to buy marijuana by mail, in provincial shops or grow up to four plants at home. Decisions on in-store distribution will be left to the provinces. The possession limit for dried cannabis would be set at 30 grams; legalizing edibles has been left for a later date.
Product safety: With recent discoveries of banned pesticides used in medical marijuana, some are wondering if the government is prepared to ensure the safety of even more cannabis products. Among the concerns being raised is a lack of inspectors at Health Canada.
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Quebec police forces reassess handling of sex-assault cases
Quebec police are exploring the possibility of allowing advocates to review sexual-assault cases deemed as unfounded. The provinces two biggest forces, Montreal police and and the Sûreté du Québec, have formed a working group along with the Quebec bar association to examine possible changes to how sex-assault cases are handled.
One in five sex-assault complaints in Canada are classified by investigators as unfounded, a designation that means police believe no crime occurred. Police in Philadelphia have pioneered a model in which investigators sit down with advocates and legal experts to look over past cases. The city's unfounded rate has dropped to 4 per cent. Police in Gatineau are planning to launch a pilot project akin to Philadelphia's system. The Brantford Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police's Northwest Region are the first forces in Canada to work with advocates to review previous cases.
Top threat to Canadian economy is U.S. protectionism: Poloz
The possibility of U.S. trade protectionism is the "number one threat" to Canada's economy, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz said (for subscribers). Donald Trump wants to make changes to the North American free-trade agreement, and speculation about a border-adjustment tax has sparked concern among many in the Canadian business community. Whatever measures the U.S. takes are bound to have a negative impact in Canada, Poloz told a Senate committee.
NHL playoffs, Day 2
The Toronto Maple Leafs got off to a quick start, but couldn't hold their lead as they lost to the Washington Capitals 3-2 in overtime. The Leafs' Mitch Marner and Jake Gardiner scored a goal each in the first period. Washington countered with a pair of goals, before netting the winner five minutes into OT to take the first game of the series.
The Calgary Flames, meanwhile, dropped their opening game against the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. Calgary was up 2-1, but conceded a pair of goals late in the second period on their way to the loss.
The Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers will look for redemption tonight in the second games of their first-round matchups against the New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks, respectively.
WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT
Against North Korea, the U.S. plays its Chinese trump card
"The inexperienced and blunt Donald Trump has may have succeeded in getting China to be more forthright about the threat posed by North Korea. Of course, Beijing's pronouncements could turn out to be empty. But after its previous silence on the subject, the fact alone that China now publicly recognizes that Kim Jong-un's nuclear-weapons program is a serious danger is progress." – Globe editorial
Is this the end of the black market for marijuana?
"Can the government accomplish its goal of eliminating the black market in this drug? The short answer is probably, but it will not happen immediately, and there are several policy decisions that might jeopardize this goal. First, based on lessons learned from Washington State, we should not set a price that is significantly higher than current black-market prices. Second, we may not have enough product to meet initial consumer demand. … Third ... what will happen to dispensaries? They were recommended by the recent government task force as a retail option, in preference to liquor stores. But they are currently selling product that does not come from licenced producers. Can and will that change? If not, the goal of eliminating the black market will be in jeopardy." – Neil Boyd, criminology professor, Simon Fraser University
HEALTH PRIMER
Five colourless foods that belong in your diet
We've been told to avoid white flour and white rice, but there are some foods that make up for their lack of colour with plenty of nutrition. Mushrooms, for example, are a great source of B vitamin and the antioxidant mineral selenium. And parsnips are a great source of fibre. Potatoes, onions and bananas are a few other plain-looking foods you may want to add more regularly to your diet.
MOMENT IN TIME
The 1969 best actress Oscars shock
April 14, 1969: Forty-eight years before an epic accounting error led to an electric moment of Academy-Awards drama for the folks behind Moonlight, the Oscars produced a different, more legitimate kind of shock at the 41st ceremony. It was late in the night at the Los Angeles Music Center when Ingrid Bergman took the stage to announce the best actress winner, with insiders favouring Barbra Streisand for her debut performance in Funny Girl. But when Bergman opened the envelope, she exclaimed, "It's a tie!" – both Streisand and Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter) had earned exactly 3,030 votes each, marking the first exact tie in academy history. Hepburn, already a two-time winner, didn't attend the ceremony, leaving Streisand alone on stage with her statuette, which she greeted with her opening Funny Girl line, "Hello, gorgeous." – Barry Hertz
Morning Update is written by Arik Ligeti.
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