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Even as it is, the promise is taking most of the life of a Parliament to fulfill. Perhaps the conscience of Justin Trudeau, the little cartoon angel that perches on his shoulder and whispers progressive maxims in his ear, would have preferred to relent and toe the legalization deadline forward a year. Unfortunately, on the list of Trudeau’s political problems, “not being able to get stuff done in Canada” ranks alarmingly high at the moment.

On the list of Trudeau's political problems, “not being able to get stuff done in Canada” ranks alarmingly high at the moment

In an ideal world, going along with the Senate committee and inflicting a wrestler’s piledriver on the economy for the sake of a principle might have been tempting. May 2018 is, alas, not really the time to be asking for that. It is precisely because so many interest groups and subnational governments have had to be negotiated with and appeased that pot legalization has taken so long — long enough that another election is in sight, with other elements of the Liberal program already in smithereens by the wayside.

It would be a bad sign if legalizing a fairly harmless and widely used substance took longer than one parliamentary term to accomplish. People in the carboniferous parts of Canada are vexed at how long it is taking to get underway with an expansion to an existing oil pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast. But, as I have made it a point to admit as an Albertan, something like a pipeline involves a non-trivial imposition on communities near its route, and this imposition is made largely, though not exclusively, for the benefit of others. It ought not to be easy, and it cannot really be done without some semblance of dialogue.