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House Hansard - 62

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 2, 2022 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 62 - May/2/22
Mr. Jamie Schmale (Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, CPC)
  • May/2/22 11:56:43 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-8 
Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from the NDP for his very passionate speech and his commitment to those suffering with addictions. As the member mentioned, the theme of Mental Health Week, which is this week, is empathy. I think it has been said many times that the shortest distance between two people is in fact empathy, and that we can actually start to bridge some of the divides and heal our communities. Can the member expand on some of the things he has been hearing in his consultations across the country on treatment and helping people get off some of their addictions?
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Context: House Hansard - 62 - May/2/22
Mr. Gord Johns
  • May/2/22 11:58:59 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-8 
Madam Speaker, it is hugely disappointing. I appreciate the member's question. In fact, his father's name came up today. I was meeting with an addictions doctor who was really proud of her relationship with the member's father, because he was a champion for harms reduction when the first safe consumption site came to Montreal. I appreciate his work and advocacy on that. There has been talk about the need for real investments, action and a national strategy to tackle this issue. The government has talked about that for six years. My bill comes up for a vote on June 1. I hope this member will do the right thing and support a bill that reflects the government's own expert task force on substance use. If he meets the doctors that I met today, they are going to be asking him to support it. They are going to be asking all members to support it because they know it is going to save lives. We have to be strong. We have to have courage. We have to put saving peoples' lives, and expert, evidence-based decision-making, ahead of politics. We have to. It is our duty.
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