In addition to the historic legalization of cannabis nationwide, the federal government announced Wednesday it will be looking at ways to make things ‘fair’ for Canadians with criminal records for pot possession, through issuing pardons.
For some Manitobans, however, the announcement from federal public safety and emergency services minister Ralph Goodale didn’t go far enough.
“My life didn’t change (with legalization). Nothing has changed in my life except maybe I could have a pardon,” Winnipeg musician Kumaran Reddy told 680 CJOB Wednesday morning.
Reddy, who has been active as a guitarist on the local music scene for decades, said a pot conviction in the 1990s limited his career options, as he was prevented from travelling outside of the country to perform.
“What (Goodale) should have said is that all of these people whose lives were ruined, all the people who are financially ruined and couldn’t go out of the country, couldn’t have these jobs, couldn’t do charity… that we’re sorry. We were wrong, and here’s the reparations for the damage we’ve done.”
Although Reddy intends to apply for a pardon, it likely won’t be enough to get him across the border without a special waiver.
“I’ve lived with it this long, and that’s the way it is,” he said. “Sad, eh?”
Immigration consultant Mitch Jessiman of Pardon Services told 680 CJOB the government’s statement on potential pardons – which is nothing yet but a general statement about their intentions – won’t have much impact when it comes to crossing into the US.
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“A pardon isn’t an approval to enter the US,” said Jessiman. “All it does is seal your record. It doesn’t erase the fact that you were convicted or pled guilty. A pardon wouldn’t be good enough to cross the border. You’d still need a waiver.”
Jessiman said under the current legislation, a person with a simple possession charge will have to wait years after the completion of their sentence and pay a $631 fee to even process an application for a pardon. The government, he said, is proposing to do away with both the waiting period and the fee.
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