Minister of Health Designated for Cannabis Act

Summary#

Order Designating the Minister of Health as the Minister for the purposes of that Act: SI/2019-125 is an Order in Council that names the Minister of Health as the minister responsible for the Cannabis Act. It repeals a previous order (P.C. 2018-1417, November 21, 2018) and was made as P.C. 2019-1363 on November 20, 2019; it was published in the Canada Gazette on December 11, 2019.

What it does#

• Repeals the earlier Order in Council P.C. 2018-1417.
• Designates the Minister of Health as the minister responsible for the Cannabis Act.
• The change was approved by the Governor General in Council on the recommendation of the Prime Minister (recorded as P.C. 2019-1363, November 20, 2019).

Who's affected#

• The main immediate effect is internal to government: the office of the Minister of Health and departments that support that minister (for example, Health Canada) are the ones formally named.
• People and organizations involved in the regulated cannabis sector (producers, retailers, public-health groups) may notice that the ministerial lead for the law is the Minister of Health, but the order itself does not spell out policy changes.
• If it’s unclear who else is affected, say so: the notice does not describe any direct changes to services, licences, or rules for the public.

Why it matters#

• It clarifies which minister officially has responsibility for administering the Cannabis Act. That affects who answers questions in Parliament, signs certain orders, and represents the government on this file.
• For most members of the public, this is a routine administrative step with no immediate change to laws, licences, or daily services.
• For people and businesses in the cannabis sector, it signals which minister’s office is formally in charge, which can matter for regulatory guidance and decision-making.