Hon. Claude Carignan: My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Leader, on Monday, La Presse published an excellent investigative report on cannabis production. It quoted a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as saying that, far from having declined since legalization, illegal cannabis production is in fact on the rise. The article also reported that in 2021, U.S. customs seized immense quantities of cannabis, more than 40,000 pounds. In 2018, they seized only 1,600 pounds.

You will surely recall an historic trip that Senator Batters, Senator Boisvenu and I took to the United States in April 2018, during which the U.S. Attorney General raised concerns about the legalization of cannabis and the increase in illegal cannabis production.

One of the methods criminals are using to grow or possess cannabis is to obtain a medical certificate. There are 12,000 medical certificates, but no inspections have been done. Large plants are being subdivided into smaller sites through the use of fake addresses by simply tacking on letters of the alphabet: 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d.

What is the government doing to ensure maximum control over the illegal production of cannabis by organized crime?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate) tabled the reply to Question No. 163, dated May 19, 2022, appearing on the Order Paper and Notice Paper in the name of the Honourable Senator Francis, regarding record suspensions for cannabis possession offences.