Revolving Door
It’s... remarkable how many ex-cops and politicians are cashing in on cannabis. e.g. Raf Souccar was a drug-busting Mountie for 34 years. In ‘16, he was appointed to Trudeau’s legalization task force. In ‘17, he became executive at Aleafia Health. Quite a journey.
As director and board member at @AleafiaHealth, Mr. Souccar works closely with notorious former Police Chief @JulianFantino. ICYMI here’s some background about why this company is a source of controversy in the #cannabiz space:
Who is Raf Souccar? To recap, his career trajectory has been:
RCMP for 34 years, retiring as Deputy Commissioner of Federal and International Policing in 2011.
Appointed to federal Marijuana Legalization Task Force in 2016.
Joined Aleafia Health executive in 2017.
Other notable professional accomplishments include:
VP Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police
International Association of Chiefs of Police Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Committee
Executive of Canadian Air Transport Security Authority
Mr. Souccar admits he busted “numerous... dozens” of people for cannabis offences over his three plus decades with the RCMP. He says: “I was too busy enforcing the law, I never had the opportunity to interact with the users.”
When Mr. Souccar served on the independent task force that advised the government on legalizing recreational marijuana use, he was “persuaded by the science and by real life stories.” This apparently prompted a change of heart.
The legalization task force filed its non-binding report in late 2016. Mr. Souccar subsequently became president and CEO of a cannabis company that was incorporated on January 17, 2017. This raised some eyebrows.
Members of government advisory panels are required to disclose their interests in the subject matter BEFORE joining the panel. They also sign a confidentiality agreement. But they are NOT under any legal obligation to refrain from commercial activity in the sector AFTERWARD.
Mr. Souccar is clear that he did not entertain business discussions with Aleafia Health while on the task force. The arrangement seems to be completely above board. Makes you wonder, why the lack of transparency?
The National Post had spent the past week trying to clarify Souccar’s role with the company. He was not listed on Aleafia’s website or in public corporate documents. Three people who work for Aleafia had repeatedly declined to answer questions about him— including William Car, the only person currently listed a director of the company in Ontario’s corporate registry.
“I will not confirm of deny,” Car said when asked about Souccar on Tuesday, Sept. 13, saying the communications staff would have to answer.
A day later, Aleafia spokeswoman Heather Curran would offer little information about Souccar’s role. “He’s providing counsel to Aleafia, in the early stages here,” she said. As a federal government marijuana legalization task force member, he’s an educated source. He is just providing counsel at this time.”
Then on Friday, Souccar told the Globe and Mail he was in fact running the company as president and CEO.
- National Post | September 26, 2017
Regardless, appearance of conflict of interest can be just as bad as the real thing. As @DonDavies put it: "The optics of task force members, within a short period of time of their task force duties, going into that very business for personal profit… I think it's problematic.”