As health minister, Ambrose had waged a multimillion-dollar television and radio ad campaign aimed at Justin Trudeau’s pot plan. Earlier this month, however, in what seems like a stunning reversal of Tory policy, she called on the prime minister to move quickly on his plan to legalize weed.

Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Jan. 25, 2016. (Adrian Wyld/CP)

“On Oct. 19, there was a very clear message sent when he was elected that pot is going to be legal across Canada recreationally, not just from a medicinal point of view,” she told reporters Monday. “So pot dispensaries are popping up everywhere. [Trudeau] said he is going to manage this, and he is going to keep it out of the hands of kids and so I’m waiting to see his plans to do that.”

Pot dispensaries did exist before the Liberals’ win this fall, Ambrose acknowledged, but she said police had previously cracked down on them in some jurisdictions.

As late as December, the Conservative interim leader had argued that selling pot in places such as Ontario’s liquor board would fail to keep it out of the hands of children. She told The Huffington Post Canada she was “very skeptical” the Liberals would be able to achieve their goals.

But then, in a confusing interview in early January, Ambrose told a Vancouver radio station she wanted the government to move on marijuana legalization as soon as possible. “The faster they move on this, the better … the better to protect kids,” she told CKNW AM 980's Simi Sara.

“Maybe she is coming to the realization that the current drug strategy doesn’t work, and if it is not working, doing more of the same isn’t going to be helpful.”

Former solicitor general Wayne Easter, who represents a riding in Prince Edward Island, told the Huffington Post Canada that he is “baffled” by Ambrose’s new pronouncement.

“Maybe she is coming to the realization that the current drug strategy doesn’t work, and if it is not working, doing more of the same isn’t going to be helpful.”

Earlier this month, the Liberals gave former Toronto police chief Bill Blair the task of developing a legal framework with the provinces to tax and regulate pot in an attempt to keep it out of the hands of not only children but also organized crime. Blair is to consult local politicians as well as health and public safety officials in the months ahead, but a formal timeline has not been released.