• L'industrie du cannabis s'unit en ce 4e anniversaire de la légalisation pour demander des allégements immédiats face à la crise actuelle
  • L'industrie du cannabis s'unit en ce 4e anniversaire de la légalisation pour demander des allégements immédiats face à la crise actuelle

Cannabis industry unites on 4th anniversary of legalization to demand immediate relief from current crisisDaily news

Published 17 October 2022 by AQIC

Ottawa, ON, October 17, 2022 - The Canadian Cannabis Council ("C3") is bringing together leaders from across the industry today in an effort to urge the Government of Canada to protect public health, public safety and the new jobs associated with cannabis legislation. As part of an initiative called Grass on the Hill, C3 is bringing together CEOs and industry leaders for a series of meetings with senior government officials and policy makers to discuss the challenges currently facing the sector and the need for immediate action to help. 

"Four years after the passage of Canada's legislation, the cannabis industry is at a crossroads and is urging the federal government to implement the changes necessary to allow it to compete in an illegal market that is both tax-sheltered and unregulated," said Cannabis Council of Canada President and CEO George Smitherman. "We appreciate the openness of the government and parliamentarians to discuss these pressing issues, and we hope that our presence in Ottawa this week will help them better understand the need for immediate action," added Myrna Gillis, CEO of Nova Scotia-based Aqualitas and a member of the C3 Board of Directors. 

Legalization has been a huge success for Canadians and the federal, provincial and territorial governments, creating more than 45,000 jobs in the industry and generating more than $15 billion in revenue for governments by 2021. "The federal government must take the lead in ensuring the sustainability of the Canadian cannabis industry. This could not happen without discussions between the government and federal and territorial authorities to allow industry leaders to harmonize a number of practices," commented Pierre Leclerc, Executive Director of the Quebec Cannabis Association. 

"Cannabis job creators risk a systemic failure of small and medium-sized businesses that have become unable to support themselves because they are subject to a combination of excise taxes, government mark-ups and regulatory fees," said Dan Sutton, CEO of British Columbia-based Tantalus Labs, director of the industry coalition Stand for Craft and a member of C3. "If the government does not act now with emergency relief until more substantial reforms are made, we can expect to see cannabis businesses of all sizes fail with predictable consequences for jobs, investment losses and continued rural economic renewal," concluded Mark Ripa, CEO of Ancaster, Ontario-based A B Laboratories and a C3 member. 

The industry urges the Government of Canada to work with its provincial counterparts to return the excise tax to its original 10% level and calls on Health Canada to immediately suspend the collection of a mandatory annual tax (equivalent to 2.3% of gross revenues) pending the announcement of the results of the legislative review of the Cannabis Act or the industry assessment strategy announced in the federal government's Budget 2022. 

For media inquiries

George Smitherman, President, and CEO, george@cannabis-council.can (English) 

Pierre Killeen, vice-président aux affaires législatives et réglementaires, pierre@cannabis-council.ca (Français)

SOURCE: Cannabis Council of Canada