In the jurisdictional dilemmas over the shape of legal cannabis in Canada, a largely overlooked question is that of country\u2019s indigenous peoples, or First Nations, who are now split on whether to embrace or eschew legal cannabis in their reserves and unceded lands. However, the First Nations agree they should be involved in crafting the new policy, at both federal and provincial levels \u2014 which they\u2019ve largely been excluded from.<\/p>\n
First Nations, along with the far-northern Inuit (often known as \u201cEskimo\u201d) and M\u00e9tis (peoples of mixed indigenous and European ancestry),\u00a0together number<\/a>\u00a0some 1.5 million, or about 4.3 percent of Canada\u2019s total population. Their\u00a0registered lands<\/a>, making up 2,267\u00a0reserves<\/a>, represent 0.2 percent of Canada\u2019s total land area. First Nation jurisdiction is contested on a much larger area under\u00a0indigenous land claims<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 unceded territories outside the registered reserves.<\/p>\n The chiefs of Canada\u2019s\u00a0Assembly of First Nations<\/a>\u00a0convened on May 2 to craft a position on the impending legalization law. The resolution they issued called on the federal government to amend its legalization legislation \u2014 before the Senate as Bill C-45 \u2014 to bar provincial regulations from applying on reserves, according to<\/a> the\u00a0Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.<\/p>\n The resolution also called for First Nations to be included in the excise tax revenue sharing framework, which under the current version of the bill is split 75-25\u00a0percent between Canada\u2019s 10 provinces and three territories on one hand and the federal government on the other.<\/p>\n \u201cThe federal and provincial governments must recognize and respect First Nations sovereignty and jurisdiction over their reserves and traditional territories,\u201d the resolution stated.<\/p>\n Manny Jules, chief commissioner of the\u00a0First Nations Tax Commission<\/a>, also urged senators to amend Bill C-45, to give taxing authority to First Nations governments so they can impose their own levy on cannabis cultivated or sold on reserves, the\u00a0CBC\u00a0reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n With final approval of the Canadian Cannabis Act possibly just days away, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL<\/a>) is now calling for the Senate to delay its implementation.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite the Trudeau government\u2019s multiple commitments to First Nations, M\u00e9tis and Inuit, it is clearly indifferent to its obligations, particularly in the area of consultation,\u201d said AFNQL Chief Ghislain Picard in a\u00a0press release<\/a>\u00a0last week. \u201cWith regard to the legalization of cannabis, this offloading leads us to call on the sensitivity of the members of the upper house to delay the implementation of the Act.\u201d<\/p>\n The AFNQL is specifically rejecting the agreement between Canadian federal government and the territorial and provincial governments on the sharing of revenues from cannabis sales and production. The organization charges that indigenous communities have been left out of the process.<\/p>\n \u201cTo our knowledge, no provision has been made by the federal government to ensure that First Nations participate actively in the equitable distribution of these revenues to counter the serious impact of legalizing cannabis on First Nations citizens and their communities,\u201d Picard said in an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cFaced with the indifference of the Canadian Prime Minister and his government, we must turn to the members of the Senate who seem more sensitive to the challenges at our doorstep, including cannabis,\u201d the letter continued. \u201cThe burden on communities will be significantly increased in terms of public health, social services and public safety. Are we the only ones who see the wave coming and not being adequately equipped to deal with it? The federal government cannot transfer its responsibility to the provinces and territories without consulting First Nations beforehand.\u201d<\/p>\n On the other hand, some First Nations in Saskatchewan are hoping that profits from the province\u2019s retail cannabis outlets will fund social programs in their communities \u2014 and are even looking to secure their own permits.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs<\/a>\u00a0is working with a company called\u00a0Green Tec Holdings<\/a>\u00a0to establish a cannabis dispensary in the Saskatchewan town of Nipawin. Battlefords Agency President Neil Sasakamoose told the\u00a0CBC<\/a>: \u201cThe proceeds from any of the profits we make in this industry are directed to housing, training and employment, economic development, education, anything that can help sustain some life for First Nations people on reserve and give benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n Synergy Five Investments<\/a>\u00a0is embarking on a similar deal with\u00a0the\u00a0Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation<\/a>\u00a0and members of the\u00a0Athabasca First Nations<\/a>. Synergy has won permit rights in the Saskatchewan towns of North Battleford, Warman and Yorkton.<\/p>\n TELL US<\/strong>,\u00a0do you think the cannabis industry should be equitable?<\/p>\n The post Canada\u2019s First Nations Demand Equity in Legal Cannabis System<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
In the jurisdictional dilemmas over the shape of legal cannabis in Canada, a largely overlooked question is that of country\u2019s indigenous peoples, or First Nations, who are now split on whether to embrace or eschew legal cannabis in their reserves and unceded lands. However, the First Nations agree they shouldContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":190,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2666,4515,2261,34,50,2667,687,81,319],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26756"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/190"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26756"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26756\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26757,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26756\/revisions\/26757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}A Debate Over Sovereignty<\/h4>\n
Quebec-Labrador First Nations Appeal to Senate: Stop Bill C-45<\/h4>\n
Saskatchewan First Nations Look to Legalization<\/h4>\n
\n
\nRead More: Canada\u2019s First Nations Demand Equity in Legal Cannabis System<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"