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But as uncertainty around the timing of legalized pot persists, some activists say there is no reason to wait to expunge simple possession records. In fact, they argue those convictions were as immoral as laws that that once demonized homosexuals and treated them as less than equal.

Bill C-45 is mute on the issue of pot possession convictions. But as Blair said in Montreal last week at a conference at McGill University, “I have to tell you from experience I know a tonne of people — and I’m sure many of you people have had this experience in this room — as a result of a youthful indiscretion or some choices they made when they were younger, they have this criminal record.”

“They lead otherwise exemplary lives. They are fine, upstanding, honest, decent citizens. And yet that criminal record has an impact on the quality of their life and on their opportunities.”

In January, Trudeau said he will “reflect on the fairness” of prior pot convictions. His comments followed an interview with Vice Media last year in which he revealed that his late father, Pierre Trudeau used his connections in the legal community to help Justin’s brother Michel, who was killed in a B.C. avalanche in 1998, avoid a criminal record after he was caught with marijuana six months before his death.

“He was very confident that we were able to make those charges go away,” Trudeau said, using the anecdote to highlight how minorities and people with fewer means often don’t have the option to clear their name in the justice system.