TORONTO, ON - APRIL 1 - A cannabis oil on display at the Hunny Pot Cannabis at 202 Queen St. W., April 1, 2019. Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star

MPs on the House public safety committee have voted to add 11 amendments to government legislation expediting pardon requests for simple pot possession convictions, including permitting applications from those with outstanding fines.

The Liberal-majority committee held three meetings over the past month on Bill C-93, which would allow individuals previously convicted of a possession charge for having less than 30 grams of cannabis to immediately apply for a record suspension, known popularly as a pardon. There’s typically a five-year waiting period for pardon applicants.

The bill would also waive the normal $631 application fee.

Critics of the Liberals’ choice to attempt to pass laws to offer pardons rather than record expungements championed by the NDP say that someone who was convicted of petty pot possession could still be barred entry to the United States.

On Monday, the committee finished clause-by-clause consideration of the bill, adding at least one amendment proposed by each of Canada’s four major parties.

READ MORE: Goodale tables bill to streamline pardons for simple cannabis possession

Several amendments from Liberal MP Julie Dabrusin supported by the committee would allow individuals with unpaid fines for simple cannabis possession to still apply for a record suspension. As C-93 currently reads, individuals must have completed their sentence and pay all associated fines to be eligible for a pardon.

Amendments put forward by Dabrusin would also allow individuals who had been convicted of other crimes and have since passed the five-year waiting period apply for a pardon for simple cannabis possession conviction.

Another amendment successfully moved by Liberal MP Ruby Sahota would eliminate older simple cannabis possession convictions from playing a part in applications for pardons for different crimes.

Similar amendments put forward by NDP MP Matthew Dubé and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, which were carried, would ensure past pardons aren’t revoked if someone had been later convicted of possessing a small amount of cannabis.

A successful amendment supported by Conservative MP Glen Motz would help individuals receive a pardon even if their records are lost. Those seeking a pardon must provide their records as part of the application process.

Several amendments put forward by opposition members on Monday were deemed inadmissible after being ruled to be outside the principle or scope of the bill.

One amendment put forward by Dubé ruled as inadmissible was a last ditch attempt to have the bill offer record expungements rather than pardons. He also tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to require the Parole Board of Canada proactively grant pardons, rather than make Canadians apply to the Parole Board.

Officials from the Parole Board explained at Monday’s meeting that the board is not permitted to share the proper records that would be required for it to grant pardons without first receiving an application. Conservative MP Jim Eglinski suggested an amendment to allow Canadians seeking pardons for pot possession to apply for it online, which Parole Board officials said they couldn’t offer because of technological limitations.

Bill C-93 will now return to the House, which will vote on whether to accept the amendments.

With only four weeks left in the House sitting schedule, the bill must still be passed by both chambers to become law before Parliament adjourns for the 2019 election.

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