The opioid addiction epidemic is a serious problem, and there is a major divide between the Liberal and Conservative parties over how the federal government should respond to the crisis.
but, Too much noiseDrug addiction is already a difficult problem to solve, but partisan politics tend to make it even more difficult to solve.
Now, Conservative leader Pierre Poirierbre is claiming that the government has a “secret plan” to “legalize” hard drugs across the country. But it doesn’t seem like what he’s referring to is “secret,” and it’s not actually a “plan” either. (And it doesn’t even include legalizing hard drugs, because there’s a big difference between decriminalization and legalization.)
What is the basis for Poirievre’s claim? Story The Ottawa-based outlet BlackRocks Reporter reported that the federal government document, published Monday, uses the term “national decriminalization” and says the government is prepared to “use all tools” to combat the opioid epidemic.
Three hours after BlackRocks promoted the article on social media, Poirierbre shared it with his followers.
“BREAKING: Secret documents show NDP-Liberal government has secret plans for ‘nationwide decriminalization,'” Poirierbre wrote.
Since then, Poirierbre has repeated the same claims in five more posts to X (formerly known as Twitter) and four to his own Instagram account. Prominent Conservative MPs Andrew Scheer and Melissa Lanzman have also made similar posts to X’s, claiming that the “confidential memo” had been exposed in a fundraising message sent to supporters on Tuesday.
“Please join us in helping good Conservatives stop Canada from becoming one giant drug den,” the email said.
Speaking at a news conference in London, Ont., on Thursday, Poirierbre said the government has a “secret document that lays out a plan for nationwide decriminalization.”
“They tried to keep it a secret until after the next election so Canadians wouldn’t find out,” he said.
Origins of the “Secret Agenda” Story
According to the office of Mental Health and Addictions Minister Yaara Sachs: Basics BlackRocks Reporter Article teeth Complete set of explanatory materials This was prepared for the Minister’s appearance before a House of Commons committee in June.
The package was posted on the federal government’s Open Government Portal on July 19th.
(BlackRock did not respond to a request to confirm which document the report was based on, but a section of the briefing document on “state decriminalization” matches the excerpt posted by Poirievre.)
The 134-page document contains summaries of “key points” and “key statistics” on dozens of topics relevant to Sachs’ area of ​​responsibility – information and messages that ministers will want to know or have at hand when they appear before parliamentary committees.
There are sections titled “Decriminalization” and “Supporting Decriminalization in B.C.”, and then there is another section titled “National Decriminalization.” Under that heading there are four sentences:
“We are committed to saving lives and ensuring that no one who uses drugs dies alone,” the document states. “Our government is committed to working with jurisdictions that have comprehensive plans to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use.”
“Their plans must include rigorous monitoring and evaluation and ensure enhanced health and social supports, public engagement, and law enforcement training,” the report continues. “We will continue to work with jurisdictions willing to take all steps to address this crisis, including through decriminalization efforts.”
Some will agree with the principles outlined therein, others will disagree, but the reference to “voluntary jurisdictions” seems to complicate the concept of national planning, and there is nothing in these four sentences that doesn’t tell us anything that is already clear from the government’s public statements and actions.
The debate over true decriminalization
In 2022, the federal government Granted British Columbia’s request for an exemption to its Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. It decriminalized the personal possession of some hard drugs as part of a three-year “pilot project.” The exemption came into effect in January 2023.
The City of Toronto then made its own exemption request, but the federal government Rejected Part of the May request was: Sachs said at the time.The Ontario government did not support this.
When asked by Poirievre in May whether his Liberal government would expand decriminalization, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “The only way to move forward with a national proposal on decriminalization or other ways to combat toxic drug overdoses is for the provinces to Take action and demand action“
Later that month, Trudeau said his government’s “responsibility will continue to be ours.” A science-based, evidence-based approach “We will work with our jurisdictions on the tools we need to combat the growing opioid and toxic drug epidemic.”
In essence, the Liberal government’s stated position is that it is prepared to allow decriminalisation, but only if provincial governments wish to do so.
The Conservatives have vehemently opposed the Liberal government’s open stance, but if the Liberal position was a secret until this week, it hasn’t been particularly well kept.
It’s natural to debate the merits of decriminalization and how it has been implemented in British Columbia. Ideally, that debate should be based on facts. Conservatives tend to point to British Columbia’s death toll as evidence that policies like decriminalization and safe supply have failed or made things worse, but Deaths in other states It suggests that the answer is not that simple.
The Conservatives say they will place more emphasis on treatment and recovery. Ironically, some of the Liberal government’s “key principles” on treatment are found on the very next page of the minister’s report.
To date, about $2.6 billion in federal funding has been allocated to “mental health and substance use interventions” through bilateral agreements with states, according to the document.
The Minister also announced that $150 million Emergency Treatment Fund It was created in 2018.
So should the federal government provide more funding? Are the provinces, which are primarily responsible for providing health care, using their money effectively? How much funding will the Poirievre government provide exactly? If safer supply programs were canceled tomorrow, how would that affect people who use such programs? If personal drug possession was re-criminalized in British Columbia, would people struggling with drug abuse end up in prison?
These questions indicate that there is plenty of room for debate and discussion without worrying about secret plans.
