Conservative Leader Pierre Poirierbre said he would cut all federal funding for programs and facilities that use prescription drug substitution, signaling perhaps his strongest commitment yet to rolling back Liberal drug programs that he says are causing “chaos” on the country’s streets.
The Conservative leader said his government would focus on drug recovery, adding that there would be no compromise on so-called “safer supply” facilities, which he said were the cause of the current drug addiction crisis.
“Are we going to give any more funding to these institutions that created the crisis? No. They’re not going to get any more funding. They’ve created a huge mess,” Poirierbre said at a news conference Thursday at a playground in London, Ont.
Poirievre has previously said he would stop funding facilities that provide prescribed alternative facilities near schools and parks.
Thursday’s comments suggest a future Conservative government would extend that commitment even more broadly to all sectors.
But for the policy proposals to be effective, the government needs to rapidly expand access to drug treatment programs, Poirievre said.
“It’s too hard to find the right one [programming] “A lot of people don’t have access to help right now. They’re calling 1-800 for help, they’re researching, their family is scouring the internet for what’s available, and then they’re told it’s going to cost $40,000 to treat someone,” Poiriebre said.
“The treatment facilities are there. The problem is there aren’t enough of them,” he said.
CBC News asked the federal government how much federal funding goes into the Prescription Alternative Delivery Program and other related programs, but did not immediately receive a response, with Poirievre saying the funding will now be reduced.
The government describes the use of “safer supply” programs as a way to provide “alternatives to harmful illicit drug supply”, prevent overdoses and help people struggling with addiction connect with other health and social care services.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poirievre said he supports a proposal by lawmakers that Canadians convicted of drug-related offences should receive drug treatment in prison as part of their sentence.
Poirievre also raised the issue of prescription substitute medicines being diverted from their intended use and used as black market currency.
At a press conference on July 15, London police chief Thai Truong said they had seized more than 11,000 Dilaudid tablets, the brand name for hydromorphone.
The pills are not being used for their prescribed purpose but are being resold, Turon said.
“It’s being smuggled into other communities and used as currency to exchange for fentanyl, fueling the drug trade. That’s a big concern for us,” Truong said.
Poirievre “isn’t serious,” Singh said.
Speaking in Toronto on Thursday, New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh questioned Poirievre’s approach to the addiction issue and accused the Conservative leader of using the issue to score political points.
“I question Pierre Poirierbre’s true nature. He is not serious about this,” Singh said.
“This is for him. [about] “To him, being in politics, this is about dividing people. We’re focused on saving lives, getting people the help they need, and getting toxic waste off our streets.”
Asked whether he would support legislation to make drug treatment mandatory, similar to the Compassionate Intervention Act being considered in Alberta, Poirievre said he didn’t know.
Poirievre said they first needed to see evidence that such an approach would be effective.
He said a member of his caucus, British Columbia MP Tracy Gray, has proposed federal legislation that would allow judges to make addiction treatment part of a sentence if the crime is addiction-related.
“That makes sense, because they’re going to prison anyway,” Poirierbre said. “Maybe they’d be better off cleaning up their bodies, their minds and their addictions.”
No Plans for Nationwide Decriminalization: Sachs
In his opening remarks, Poirierbre accused the Liberal government of having a “secret document” outlining plans to decriminalize drugs nationwide after the election.
“Documents obtained by BlackRock reporters outline secret plans to legalize crack, heroin, cocaine and other hard drugs – and, if Trudeau and the NDP are re-elected, make them as easy to obtain as a candy bar at your local store,” Poirierbre said, referring to the Ottawa-based online news outlet.
Yuval Daniel, a spokesman for Mental Health and Addictions Minister Yaara Sachs, said in an emailed response that the portrayal was “completely false.”
Daniel wrote that the “so-called confidential memo” was part of a briefing prepared for Sachs’ recent appearance before the House of Representatives Health Committee.
“These materials are actively It is published online and can be accessed through open government.“There are no plans for ‘nationwide decriminalization,'” Daniel wrote.
“While the Conservatives try to score easy political points and distort publicly available briefing materials, we will continue to work to save lives.”
Yaara Sachs, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, told Power & Politics that the federal government wanted to “ensure operational clarity in terms of instructions to law enforcement” before responding to B.C.’s request. British Columbia Premier David Eby has asked for the exemption order to be changed to re-criminalize the use of illegal drugs in public.
The memo in question, in a four-paragraph section under the heading “State Decriminalization,” states that the federal government is committed to working with jurisdictions that have “comprehensive plans” to decriminalize “possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use.”
Such plans need oversight and standards to evaluate how effective they are in addressing the addiction crisis, the document adds.
Such an agreement exists with British Columbia, which was amended in May at the urging of Premier David Eby to re-criminalize drug use in public.
The City of Toronto similarly requested that possession of illegal drugs be decriminalized, but Sachs rejected the request.
He said the federal government would only work with provinces on decriminalization efforts. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said he firmly opposes the Toronto proposal.
