Evidence of meeting #32 for Health in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was insite.
A recording is available from Parliament.
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
The possibilities of this issue are expanding. If it's successful, it could conceivably expand across the country.
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
Tony Clement Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON
Some of the advocates honestly believe this is the right thing to do. They believe an injection of an illicit drug is their right, and they object to any government authority in this area. That's a discussion that libertarians will have with people not of that particular persuasion. I'm the health minister, so for me it's health and safety. That's the ultimate bottom line for me.
1:30 p.m.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
I'd like your comment on something both you and Dr. Fry mentioned. It had to do with the United Nations. Specifically, I'd like for you to comment on the international drug control treaties.
There is a quotation that comes out of Victoria. It's from the Canadian Press, March 7 of this year, and I'll just quote a couple of sections:
A United Nations monitoring body wants the Canadian government to close Vancouver's safe injection site and end the distribution of safe crack kits in Toronto, Ottawa and on Vancouver Island.... The distribution of drug paraphernalia, including crack pipes, to drug users in Ottawa and Toronto, as well as the presence of drug injection sites, is also in violation of the international drug control treaties, to which Canada is a party.
Can you comment on those treaties?
1:30 p.m.
Conservative
Tony Clement Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON
Those comments come from the International Narcotics Control Board, which is an agency of the United Nations, just as the World Health Organization is an agency of the United Nations. I think we should be absolutely clear on this: the International Narcotics Control Board had some severe criticism of Canada and questioned whether we were living up to our international conventions.
Canada's point of view is that we're at present in conformity, because this is a time-limited exemption for research purposes. I think it starts to stretch credulity if this exemption continues indefinitely, but generally I'm sensitive to this kind of criticism.
I think they have a point. I should also state for the record that some members of this committee have said that Europe has gone another way. Some countries in Europe have gone another way. But interestingly, some countries that we seem to have an affinity with—they like hockey and have a lot of snow—have gone in a completely different direction. Sweden, for example, has taken a line different from Holland's, different from Australia's. They've decided to enforce, to prevent, to treat. And they have one-third the incidence of drug use that we have.
1:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Thank you so much, Minister, for coming today and taking this time to be here. It is very much appreciated.
I also want to thank Dr. Butler Jones and Deputy Minister Rosenberg.
1:30 p.m.
Liberal
1:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
One minute.
I would also like to thank the witnesses who came today as well.
I know that time is running out, but we do have one point of order.
Mr. Thibault.
1:30 p.m.
Liberal
Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS
You said the committee was meeting until 1:40, and that leaves us 10 minutes.
1:30 p.m.
Conservative
Patrick Brown Conservative Barrie, ON
I note there are 10 minutes of the Conservative time that were not used, so if there were another 10 minutes, it would be to finish our time. We're losing time to accommodate the committee's schedule.