Canadians convicted of petty cannabis possession will soon be eligible to apply for expedited, no-cost pardons after the Senate today voted to pass Bill C-93 at third reading without amendments.

The vote means the bill will now move toward royal assent and becoming law. It comes only two days after members of the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee agreed to report C-93 back to the broader upper chamber without amendment.

Wonderful to see Bill #C93 approved in the @SenateCA this evening. I was pleased to speak in support of this important legislation at 2nd reading: https://t.co/bvobW0B0r1 https://t.co/1OtLPn2ME5 — Senator Colin Deacon (@colindeacon) 19 June 2019

READ MORE: Pot pardons bill clears Senate committee without amendments

First tabled in the House in March, Bill C-93 allows individuals convicted of possessing less than 30 grams of cannabis before legalization last fall to apply for cost-free, expedited pardons, which are known formally as record suspensions.

It typically costs $631 for someone to apply for a record suspension and there’s usually a five-to-10 year waiting period to be pardoned after someone commits a crime, though this is waived in cases of simple pot possession under C-93.

Prior to winning passage at third reading in the House, the Liberals passed two amendments at the committee report stage.

One of the successful amendments changed the bill so applicants no longer have to provide documentation proving the simple possession crime was the only crime on their record, unless police or other official records show otherwise. The other amendment reversed a change made by the public safety committee that would have allowed applicants whose records the Parole Board of Canada could not find to submit a statement swearing that simple pot possession was their only conviction.

The Liberal majority House public safety committee voted to add 11 amendments to the bill, including a provision that permits applications from those with outstanding fines.

READ MORE: Budget implementation, pot pardons bills now in the Senate