(Ottawa) A Conservative federal government led by Pierre Poilievre would sue drug companies to fund drug treatment in the country.
This is what the Conservative leader said Tuesday in British Columbia, without however specifying what he would do with sites where it is possible to consume drugs under supervision.
Passing through suburban Vancouver, an area he has regularly criticized for its approach to the opioid crisis, Poilievre said bluntly that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the NDP-led provincial government are all contributing two to the problem in British Columbia.
He felt that providing safe drugs to certain users and decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of certain substances was part of a “failed experiment”.
Mr. Poilievre is therefore committed to ending these practices and banning decriminalization. His position was quickly decried by his political opponents and some experts in the field, who say such measures are necessary to curb the circulation of poor quality drugs, which have led to thousands of overdoses.
However, Mr. Poilievre reiterated his position on Tuesday.
“I don’t believe we should be flooding our communities with more taxpayer-funded drugs,” he said.
According to him, it would be better to offer more options for care and treatment of addictions. And to pay for these new programs, a Conservative government would launch a $44 billion lawsuit against the pharmaceutical companies that make the prescription drugs that many Canadians are addicted to.
“These big companies knew exactly what they were doing selling these drugs to our health care system,” he said. The result is a massive addiction and overdose crisis that has swept across North America. The Trudeau government has done nothing to hold these companies accountable. »
In addition to this lawsuit, a Conservative government would also add its name to a similar lawsuit brought by British Columbia.
What to do with supervised consumption sites?
When asked by reporters if he intended to change the current rules regarding supervised consumption sites, the Conservative leader simply replied that “the system that is in place now has failed”.
The federal government currently funds safe drinking programs in 20 centers across the country.
In addition to supervision, these sites typically offer services like drug testing and clean needles. They also help their clients connect with other support services, including housing assistance. To operate, these centers require a federal exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Conservatives have long been concerned about these sites. Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government notably challenged their expansion during its tenure, citing their effect on public perception.
In 2013, the Harper government passed a law called the Respect for Communities Act, which stipulated that organizations wishing to open such facilities had to meet a strict set of criteria in order for their applications to be considered.
After the Liberals came to power in 2015, the Trudeau government passed a bill that reduced the number of criteria to eight, from the 26 in the original law. In 2020, Ottawa reported that 39 such sites were in operation.