Health Committee on Feb. 1st, 2024

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Depending on where one lives in Canada, one experiences the crisis differently. It is not the same crisis. That's why in Quebec, we don't really talk about an opioid crisis; we talk mostly about a contaminated drug crisis.

Have you been able to identify clear distinguishing characteristics of this subtle difference noted between Quebec and the rest of Canada?

[Jennifer Saxe]

Drug verification services are available. We conduct analyses to know what's in them. It's possible to determine whether they contain methamphetamines, cocaine or opioids. Furthermore, specific analyses are done to see if there are similarities and differences between provinces and between regions.

We can see that differences exist between Quebec and the other provinces. Opioids and amphetamines can be found from one end of the country to the other, but there are significant regional differences when it comes to quantity. These differences influence actions undertaken by the provinces and federal government.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you.

Mr. Johns is next, for two and half minutes, please.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

We've lost over 42,000 Canadians due to unregulated toxic drugs. In the United States, it's been hundreds of thousands of Americans. We don't need more evidence that toxic street drugs produced by and profited from by organized crime are what's killing people.

Thirty states in the U.S. doubled in their number of overdoses in two years. None of them had safer supply. That's the evidence that harm reduction actually works. We know that in B.C., deaths have gone up 5%, and in Ontario it's 6.8%. That's not good enough. We need to ramp up safer supply.

In Alberta, where they scaled down harm reduction, have no safer supply or decriminalization, and focus on recovery, abstinence and criminalization, there's a skyrocketing death rate of 18%. In Saskatchewan, it's similar to Alberta at 32%.

In San Francisco, they closed their safe consumption site in 2022. Eleven months later, their death rate had gone up 25%.

Alberta has made safer supply prescribing illegal. They will fine doctors who provide life-saving care $10,000 a day for every patient to whom these doctors provide safe supply. Alberta is reducing support for and closing safe consumption sites, against all scientific evidence. Since Alberta made these ideological decisions, overdose deaths have surged 18%.

What will this government do to limit the harms of Alberta's ideology-driven policies? What will this government do to support the people at higher risk of death due to Alberta's policies?

[Eric Costen]

Thank you for the question. It's a very important question. I'll do my best to answer it.

In some ways, it kind of goes back to the minister's fundamental position around what the federal strategy is and the work that we're doing with all provinces and territories. Our support and our understanding of the impact of harm reduction service is unequivocal.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

We need harm reduction, treatment, recovery, prevention, education and decriminalization. It's all supported by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.

[Eric Costen]

From where we sit, that is the government's strategy. It's a full continuum of services through prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery, and after-care supports—the whole continuum.

We do a lot of work directly, as the minister said, in supporting community-level interventions where there aren't otherwise supports, particularly in the harm reduction space. We have supported the ones that I have in front of me right here, the 39 supervised consumption sites that have seen four and a half million visits since they were first established six or seven years ago. That's 52,000 overdoses and no deaths.

We understand fully the impact and the importance of harm reduction and in dealing with the very acute end of harms.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Prairie Harm Reduction is selling hoodies to keep its doors open.

[Eric Costen]

Yes, I know.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you both.

We have about two to three minutes left. There's interest, for the next two turns, in posing one question before we let you go. The Conservatives will get a question and the Liberals will get a question, and then we're going to wrap up.

Go ahead, Mrs. Goodridge.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

In a Calgary Herald news article from December 26, 2023, indigenous leaders in Alberta referred to safe supply as pharmaceutical colonization akin to genocide.

What consultations have been done with indigenous leaders and people in recovery regarding safe supply, specifically with first nations on reserve?

[Eric Costen]

I don't mean to sound overly bureaucratic in the response.

The way that we support the safer supply projects at the federal level is an application-based process. The projects that are being funded right now are those that made applications to us. To date, there aren't sites in Alberta on first nations communities with respect to safer supply.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

I did not ask in regard to Alberta. I asked in regard to indigenous people on first nations.

[Eric Costen]

Okay. Do you mean specific to safer supply or just generally to the crisis?

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

It's specific to safe supply.

[Eric Costen]

I might have to get back to you on that.

We have lots of conversations with indigenous communities about the crisis and we talk about all manner of interventions, but I would have to get back to you on whether there is a specific safer supply conversation.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Please table it with the committee.

[Eric Costen]

Sure.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you.

The last question is from Dr. Powlowski. He promised to keep it under four minutes.

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Several of you have mentioned the Iceland model. I too like the Iceland model.

Could somebody briefly, in layman's terms, explain the Iceland model and what Canada and the government have done to try to institute something similar in Canada?

Thanks.

[Nancy Hamzawi, Executive Vice-President, Public Health Agency of Canada]

Sure. I'd be happy to take that question.

The Icelandic model is very much focused on youth substance use prevention. It is an approach very complementary to the integrated youth services that Dr. Weiss spoke about. It's an approach that considers the broader social surroundings affecting youth through their schools, their peer environments and their communities. Rather than focusing on changing individual behaviours, it really looks at the community and meaningful connection within the community.

In budget 2023, there was a decision to provide $20.2 million over five years. We are moving ahead with that decision by the government through a number of streams of work. The first stream is to develop incubator and capacity building within communities. There was a call for proposals that came back—I'll try to do this in one minute, as I see your signal—and closed on January 15. The second stream will then fund the implementation of intervention research, following up on those who are successful through the first stream.

We are also developing a knowledge development and exchange hub, which will help synthesize the knowledge that's acquired in each of these communities and help exchange that across the country.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you all for being with us today and for the work that you do on behalf of Canadians.

Is it the will of the committee to adjourn the meeting?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

We're adjourned.