One of the central justifications for legalization was to get rid of the black market. It obviously hasn’t worked, or at least it hasn’t worked until now, because as you say, it is still flourishing. I understand that it takes time to give permits, and for companies to invest and produce more, etc. And we’ll see in a year or two if the situation has evolved.
But you know, in economics, the existence of a black market has a very simple and easy to understand cause: it’s because taxes and regulations on the legal market are too high, and so consumers prefer the black market stuff. I’m in favour of lower taxes whatever the reason, so reducing taxes to lower the price should be a priority. But also reducing the regulatory burden on production, while keeping all the necessary regulations for security, is the other avenue to explore. That’s what we would do if the PPC forms the next government.
Maxime, as a new party despite a familiar and popular face at the helm, it is of course an uphill battle. It has taken the Green Party a very long time to get to where it is and with that success the rumours that they and the NDP could merge one day have been circulating for some time. What would be the measure of success for The People’s Party ahead of the election in the fall as well as with respect to the results of the election?
Frankly, my priority now is to make sure we have an organization and candidates everywhere when the election campaign starts in October. If we can manage this – and we are well on our way to do it, with more candidates selected at this time than all the other parties except the Conservatives – then anything is possible.
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