MEDIA RELEASE  April 18, 2018                                                                                          Ottawa, ON

REAL Women to Appear Before the Senate
Committee on Foreign Affairs re: Bill C-45 (marijuana)

Thursday, April 19th, 2018, @ 11:30 a.m.,
Room 160-S, Centre Block, Parliament Buildings.

REAL Women of Canada will be a witness before the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade in connection with Bill C-45 (marijuana bill) to discuss Canada’s failure to uphold its treaty obligations under the three UN drug control conventions and the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child, all of which Canada previously ratified.

Global Affairs Canada testified before the same Committee last month that Canada will not be withdrawing from or seek reservations to, or take any treaty actions regarding the three drug conventions. That is, Canada plans to ignore the drug treaties and the Convention on the Rights of the Child which latter provides that children must be protected from illicit drugs use. Bill C-45 permits children between 12 and 18 years of age to possess and distribute 5 grams (10 joints) of marijuana. This is not in compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

By ignoring its treaty obligations, Canada will be setting a dangerous precedent for other countries to also violate UN treaties. It puts in jeopardy significant other treaties such as the non-proliferation nuclear treaties, treaties against war crimes, and the seven human rights treaties. This creates major problems for world order and international governance. This is not a trivial matter.

In addition, Uruguay, which is the only other country to regulate marijuana at the national level, has been the subject of the U.S. government invoking of the Patriot Act which prohibits U.S. banks from handling funds for distributors of marijuana. This has resulted in Uruguay being cut off from the entire financial services market in regard to marijuana distribution since every business associated with the marijuana industry risks being in violation of the U.S. drug laws and lose access to U.S. banks and dollar transactions.

Canada prides itself in being a democratic country that respects and promotes the rule of law. This will no longer be the case if Canada enacts Bill C-45.