Canada government facing resistance from Senate over pot law
Justin Trudeau
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waits for the arrival of Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos on Parliament Hill in Ottawa  Ontario  Canada  October 30  2017. REUTERS/Chris Wattie
Legalizing marijuana for recreational use was part of  Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeauâs  2015 election campaign and the government has set a relatively quick deadline to put it in place. Canada would be the first Group of Seven country to allow the drug nationally.
That could put  Trudeau  and the upper house of parliament at loggerheads again. Senators  who are not elected  recently delayed the governmentâs budget bill before ultimately passing it.
The potential clash highlights a hurdle  Trudeau  has partly set up for  himself  after  he  expelled all Liberal senators from the partyâs caucus in 2014 amid an expenses scandal and to curb partisanship.
Although  Trudeau  has appointed independent senators since then   he  has no formal leverage to get the governmentâs legislation passed.
âThe government  if it had a clear majority in the Senate  could at one point impose party discipline and have its bill voted on. Itâs not in that situation now â said Senator Andre Pratte  an independent who was appointed by  Trudeau  in 2016.
[TGT]  waits for the arrival of Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos on Parliament Hill in Ottawa  Ontario  Canada  October 30  2017. REUTERS/Chris Wattie
Legalizing marijuana for recreational use was part of  Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeauâs  2015 election campaign and the government has set a relatively quick deadline to put it in place. Canada would be the first Group of Seven country to allow the drug nationally.
That could put  Trudeau  and the upper house of parliament at loggerheads again. Senators  who are not elected  recently delayed the governmentâs budget bill before ultimately passing it.
The potential clash highlights a hurdle   [TGT] has partly set up for   [TGT]   after   [TGT]   expelled all Liberal senators from the partyâs caucus in 2014 amid an expenses scandal and to curb partisanship.
Although   [TGT] has appointed independent senators since then    [TGT]   has no formal leverage to get the governmentâs legislation passed.
âThe government  if it had a clear majority in the Senate  could at one point impose party discipline and have its bill voted on. Itâs not in that situation now â said Senator Andre Pratte  an independent who was appointed by  Trudeau  in 2016.