Pubdate: Tue, 29 Nov 2016
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2016 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Authors: Robert Fife & Steven Chase
Page: A1

TRUDEAU'S MARIJUANA CZAR LOBBIED DURING CASH-FOR-ACCESS FUNDRAISER

Liberal Party says it will refund donations, but denies any ethical
breaches at event attended by Bill Blair

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's point person on legalizing
recreational pot was the prize guest at a Liberal Party fundraiser
attended by a marijuana lobbying group at a Toronto law office that
advises clients in the cannabis business.

The event last spring, which featured Bill Blair, the parliamentary
secretary to the Justice Minister, appears to violate Liberal Party
rules on political fundraisers and Mr. Trudeau's ethics guidelines
that direct cabinet ministers and parliamentary secretaries to avoid
an "appearance of preferential access."

The Liberal Party told The Globe and Mail on Monday night it will
refund donations from representatives of the Cannabis Friendly
Business Association (CFBA), although it denied any ethical breaches.

"While the lobbying code is clear that such individuals may be able to
attend grassroots fundraisers, these contributions are now in the
process of being returned to avoid any appearance of conflict of
interest," Liberal Party spokesman Braeden Caley said in an e-mail.

"The individuals associated with the organization you reference appear
to have only registered with the lobbying commissioner on or after the
date of the event itself, and therefore the party would not have been
aware in advance of their activities."

Mr. Blair addressed the fundraiser at the law offices of Aird & Berlis
LLP on April 28 - two months after Mr. Trudeau named him to work with
a task force on new marijuana laws.

One of the law partners is a corporate secretary in a cannabis
business, and another assisted a client doing a medical marijuana startup.

The CFBA represents dispensary owners and cannabis farmers who want
the federal government to allow storefront pot shops) CFBA organizers
Abi Roach and Jon Liedtke, a co-owner of the Higher Limits Cannabis
Lounge in Windsor, Ont., lobbied and were photographed with Mr. Blair,
a former Toronto police chief, at the $150-a-person fundraiser.

"I got 10 minutes of his time. I explained to him that the cannabis
industry needs to stay independent and he said, 'Oh Abi, it's not
about money,' and I just laughed, and I said, 'You don't think so,
eh?' " said Ms. Roach, who operates Hotbox Cafe, a cannabis lounge in
Toronto. "It was worth it because I got to speak to different people
about our point of view about the cannabis industry. There was lot of
people from the cannabis industry as well who were vying for his
attention, more from the licensed producers' side, obviously, because
they are more interested in lobbying than the independents are."

The presence of donors hoping to gain the ear of Mr. Blair appears to
violate Mr. Trudeau's Open and Accountable Government ethics rules
that state "there should be no preferential access, or appearance of
preferential access" in exchange for political donations.

The fundraiser also appears to breach internal Liberal Party rules -
held up by the party as evidence of due diligence - that say "there is
a thorough process to ensure that the rules are followed - especially
that no department stakeholder, lobbyist, or employees of lobbying
firms are specially targeted for fundraising."

Ms. Roach told The Globe she "gets e-mails all the time" from the
Liberals asking her to come to fundraisers, and no one vetted her for
the April 28 event.

"They took our money happily without question," Ms. Roach
said.

"If it was easier for people to speak to politicians, to explain their
points of views without having to pay - I mean, there was no way to
sit at this event, I was on my feet for four hours - I would rather to
speak to a politician one-on-one in an office than have to pay."

Ms. Roach's organization is registered with the Office of the
Commissioner of Lobbying in Ottawa as lobbying the departments of
Justice, Finance, Health and Public Safety, and the Public Health
Agency of Canada and Employment and Social Development.

Fundraising rules recently highlighted by Christina Topp, interim
national director of the Liberal Party, say: "Once we receive a guest
list prior to an event, we review it to determine if any individuals
are registered lobbyists with active files associated with the
relevant department and, if necessary, takes steps so the individual
does not attend the event."

The fundraiser was for Toronto Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who
favours decriminalization of marijuana and the idea of pardons for
people convicted of pot offences.

Mr. Blair insisted he was not using his position to raise money for
Mr. Erskine-Smith's riding association.

"Honestly, I went there and I spoke on behalf of Nat as a
parliamentary colleague. It wasn't about marijuana," Mr. Blair told
The Globe.

"Everyone talks to me about marijuana everywhere I go, but that wasn't
why I was at the fundraiser. Nat is a colleague and a friend."

Mr. Erskine-Smith, Liberal MP for Beaches-East York, said to his
recollection, most people at the April 28 fundraiser were his former
colleagues at the law firm, constituents and local Liberal Party supporters.

He said he did not discuss marijuana at the event, adding that Mr.
Blair happened to be the parliamentary secretary who was available.

Mr. Erskine-Smith said at the riding association level it would be
very difficult to screen all attendees to determine whether they plan
to lobby the headline guest.

He said the topic of the April 28 fundraiser was how Mr. Trudeau
brought people of varied backgrounds into the Liberal fold.

Mr. Erskine-Smith said his riding association never advertised the
event as an opportunity for lobbyists to talk to Mr. Blair on marijuana.

One partner at Aird & Berlis, Richard Kimel, is corporate secretary
for International Cannabis Corp., a licensed producer of recreational
marijuana, as well as extracts, byproducts and industrial hemp in Uruguay.

Mr. Kimel was not at the fundraiser.

The law firm also represented TheCannaCabana.com website, which
promotes itself as a place where people can "gather and communicate
without fear of repercussions for their choice of medication and
recreation."

Another law partner, Donald Johnston, advised a medical marijuana
startup as it registered, according to Aird & Berlis' website.

Aird & Berlis referred questions about the fundraiser to the
Beaches-East York Liberal riding association, including whether it
donated or rented the space for the event. The firm declined to
discuss its work on the marijuana file. "Those matters are subject to
solicitor and client confidentiality," managing partner Steven Zakem
said in an e-mail.
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MAP posted-by: Matt