Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the national average since 2016 is 42,000 deaths. The average across the country is 22 deaths per day.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, according to current data, it is drug overdose.

Mental Health and Addictions  Mr. Speaker, the member well knows that, first and foremost, diversion is illegal in the country of any narcotics. It does not matter what they are for, such as ADHD methamphetamines or anything else of that sort. When it comes to prescribed alternatives, it is one tool of many to combat the overdose crisis in the country to save lives.

Mental Health and Addictions  Mr. Speaker, I will say it again. Diversion is illegal in the country. Not only that, but the Conservatives are trying to portray the fiction of our streets rather than the reality. The RCMP has made it explicitly clear about what is happening with regard to diversion. The numbers the member quoted are simply not facts.

Mental Health and Addictions  Mr. Speaker, yet again, the Conservatives want to play games with the lives of people who need health care. It is shameful. Decriminalization is about personal possession. It has nothing to do with the control of substances in the country. On this side of the House, we know that people need prevention and harm reduction, which the Conservatives refuse to acknowledge.

Mental Health and Addictions  Mr. Speaker, I find it disappointing that the member across actually did not join the recent visit by the health committee to B.C. to speak to experts on the ground, an actual member of the committee. On this side of the House, we follow science, we follow medical experts and we follow the best, evidence-based practices in order to save lives.

Mental Health and Addictions  Mr. Speaker, the member across the way seems to not want to recognize that in provinces like Alberta, where they cut back on a comprehensive continuum of care, including harm reduction, people are dying at astronomical rates. Diversion is illegal, and the member well knows that.

Mental Health and Addictions  Mr. Speaker, it is amazing to me that across the way they continue to mislead Canadians. Addressing the overdose crisis and the tragic deaths that we are seeing from illegal fentanyl in our streets needs harm reduction, needs prevention, and needs treatment and law enforcement.

Mental Health and Addictions  Mr. Speaker, we need to take a moment to recognize why this issue is so important for every family that has lost a loved one to this tragic overdose crisis from an illegal toxic drug supply. People are dying alone from fentanyl. We need policies that work, we need to meet communities where they are and we need to understand that this is public health.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, this is exactly the point. The Leader of the Opposition and the party opposite create narratives that simply are not in the reality of what we need to be addressing right now. Decriminalization is about ensuring that someone who uses substances is not subject to prosecution.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for his continued advocacy and really collaborative work with us on this side of the House to address this moment that we are in and the toxic drug supply and the overdose crisis we are in. We have made significant investments since 2016, a billion dollars toward this crisis.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for acknowledging that this is a health care crisis, as opposed to the Leader of the Opposition, who continues to dehumanize and criminalize those who need health care. It is a great opportunity to highlight our comprehensive approach, which is a wraparound approach for addressing substance use in Canada.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time today with the member for Thunder Bay—Superior North. I rise today for the families of loved ones, who have lost the people most precious to them due to an overdose. I rise for the parents I have spoken to who have lost children and for the neighbours who have lost friends.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I truly appreciate that the party opposite is talking about treatment, because treatment is a critical and definitely core piece of our actions and policy when it comes to addressing the overdose crisis. However, actions speak louder than words. Would the member commit to sustained funding on treatment, unlike the previous Conservative government that cut two-thirds of drug treatment funding?

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I have heard the words from the member for Carleton today. I have just one very simple question to him. He has listed a lot of headlines and news stories. He talked about brave people. Why will the Leader of the Opposition not meet with Moms Stop the Harm, an organization of mothers who have lost their children to the overdose crisis and who are brave, in this moment, for their children?