Hon. Patrick Brazeau: Honourable senators, today marks the third anniversary of my sobriety.

Senator Brazeau: I have not touched a drop of alcohol for 1,095 days, that’s over 1.5 million minutes. Anyone who has battled an addictive substance knows what a fight every single one of those minutes can be.

According to the World Health Organization, Canadians are drinking almost nine litres of pure alcohol per capita each year. The global average, according to The Globe and Mail, is 6.2 litres.

Thanks to the efforts of health care practitioners and medical researchers, more and more Canadians are becoming aware of the serious health damage caused by alcohol. It’s no easy thing to get this information to Canadians, considering the billions that are spent every year by the alcohol industry, including some boozy receptions right here on Parliament Hill.

Your Honour, whenever I speak about alcohol, I’m not pretending to be anyone’s moral superior. I’m certainly not telling people what to do and what not to do. Instead, Your Honour, I’m inviting this chamber to consider those who at this very moment are fighting alcohol use disorder. These people are in every walk of life. Many of them are what we call high-functioning. Not everyone with alcohol use disorder is living on the street.

In fact, just yesterday, Your Honour, The Globe and Mail ran a timely piece on the increasing dependence on alcohol in Canadian women. The article describes women professionals who have found their careers in jeopardy due to their hidden disorder. The same article tells us that between 2003 and 2016, the rate of alcohol-related emergency department visits by young women in Ontario went up by an astounding 240%. The alcohol‑related death rate for women increased by 26% compared to 5% for men. This issue affects everyone, either directly or indirectly.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada notes that about one in four suicide deaths in Canada involve alcohol use. Heavy drinking increases the risk of suicide exponentially. Three of every four people who commit suicide in Canada are men.

In fact, Your Honour, when we look at the alcohol-related suicide statistics for Indigenous people and men in Canada, it can only properly be called a crisis. This is why we must support those who are battling addiction with everything that we have got. We need to bolster them. We need to encourage them.

[Editor’s Note: Senator Brazeau spoke in Algonquin.]

This is Algonquin for “hope.” We must provide them with culturally appropriate and gender-specific treatment options.

Finally, Your Honour, personally, I’m thankful for my 1.5 million minutes of sobriety and thankful to all of those who continue to encourage and support me. Simply said, I was one of the lucky ones. Every Canadian who has substance abuse issues deserves just as much support and encouragement as I am getting.

Meegwetch.