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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 318

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 27, 2024 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 318 - May/28/24
Mr. Tako Van Popta (Langley—Aldergrove, CPC)
  • May/28/24 12:00:22 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am up with a follow-up to a question that I had put to the Liberal minister. On May 3 in question period, I asked a question about the failed drug legalization pilot project in British Columbia. That project was a joint initiative of the federal Liberal government and the provincial NDP government to basically decriminalize the possession of small amounts of hard drugs for personal use. The thinking was that, if we treat drug addiction as a health issue rather than a criminal issue, then we will destigmatize drug use and, in that way, encourage addicts to seek medical treatment. That sounded good in theory, but one year into this three-year pilot project, it was clear that it was going to fail. It was a failed experiment. There were 2,500 toxic deaths in the first year of the pilot project, up 7% from the previous year, and there was crime and chaos on the streets. We all heard examples from MPs right across the province, and I heard of it too in Langley. Citizens were worried that they were seeing people injecting drugs in front of an elementary school, people discarding used needles in playgrounds and people smoking crack at bus stops and on transit. Other communities across British Columbia had similar experiences. None were as stark as those in the Downtown Eastside, where chaos had become widespread. British Columbians were unhappy. The provincial NDP government realized it needed to do something, and it did try. It introduced a provincial bill called the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act, which put restrictions on consumption of drugs in open places, such as playgrounds, schools, etc. That made sense to common-sense citizens, but there was an organization, the Harm Reduction Nurses Association, that took issue with it. The organization took this to court and surprisingly, at least surprisingly to me, was able to convince the judge to issue a temporary injunction preventing the provincial government from bringing this law into effect. The argument that convinced the judge was that it is more dangerous for a drug user to be using alone in a private place, at home presumably, than it is in the public eye. I do not argue with that, and I do not know if there is evidence to back that up, but this is what convinced the judge. He was convinced that this was a violation of drug users' section 7 charter rights to life, liberty and security of the person. I was surprised by that. The provincial government realized that it had lost this battle and so instead, went to the federal government and asked for an amendment to the exemption order to effectively do the same as its provincial legislation was going to do. I asked my question in that context, and it was whether the government was going to put an end to the disastrous failed drug-use experiment. What I got, unfortunately, was a nonsensical answer from the minister, who said that the Conservatives were not interested in protecting the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and I do not know where that came from. I thought it was very surprising, coming from a minister whose government's failed plan for drug use basically undermined the Constitution itself. I was disappointed in that. I am hoping I get a better answer today.
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Context: House Hansard - 318 - May/28/24
Ms. Lisa Hepfner
  • May/28/24 12:08:02 a.m.
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As I said, Mr. Speaker, no one measure will work. We must do everything we can to prevent overdoses, save lives and help people find their way to appropriate treatment and pathways to recovery, while at the same time keeping our communities safe and addressing drug trafficking and organized crime. Our government is focused on supporting a full range of services and supports to address the diverse needs of people who use drugs, as well as enforcement efforts to protect our communities. We are in the midst of a crisis. This is not a time to be pitting harm reduction against treatment. The truth is we need them both, and we need more than that. The evidence clearly demonstrates this. Going forward, we will continue to work hand in hand with all of our partners, including provinces, law enforcement, indigenous communities, people with lived and living experience and municipalities across this country every step of the way. We will adapt and adjust our approach to reflect the evidence and what is actually working on the ground.
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