B.C., Ontario, Quebec Opposing Crime Bill Costs

The country's three most populous provinces are pushing back at the Conservative government's plan to imprison more marijuana growers.

The governments of Quebec, Ontario, and now British Columbia are putting pressure on the federal government to say just how much its omnibus crime bill is going to cost the provinces, with both Quebec and Ontario saying they will refuse to take on new expenses. B.C. Premier Christy Clark added her voice to that chorus on Tuesday, but stopped just short of saying that her province would refuse to implement the bill. Clark said she wants the federal Conservatives to release a full accounting of how much the nine-bills-in-one will cost, noting that B.C. can't exactly afford to take on expensive new initiatives that could lead to a spike in the prison population. The bill's provisions on mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana growers could have a particularly big impact on B.C., as that province has a booming (but still illegal) marijuana industry. Currently, most people busted for running grow-ops typically face fines or house arrest, but that will change once the mandatory minimums come into effect. And since it falls to the provinces to cover the cost of inmates serving sentences of two years or less, B.C. will have to add untold millions to its budget to appease the feds. Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has said all costs to the justice system are covered by transfer payments doled out to each province.

Related links from The Mark:

• National Post vs. The Million Dollar Pot Growers Act
• Mean but Far From Lean
• Salvaging a Faulty Crime Bill