Previously, there was a $1,240 a month fee for someone suffering from addiction if they wanted to access government resources for addiction. Where do you think someone suffering from a fentanyl addiction is going to find $1,200 a month? It's very clear that's not a serious government policy around addiction.
We have increased capacity by over 10,000 beds from 2019 to now. We're building 11 recovery treatment centres, four of them on reserve in indigenous communities, for up to one year of treatment, very serious treatment. We do all this to reduce all possible barriers to getting people into treatment, understanding that addiction ends in one of two ways—with either pain, misery and, tragically, untimely death or treatment, recovery and a second lease on life. There's no third option.
How could we not, as a society, invest in treatment? I'm not saying not to do everything else. Of course we need to have a full continuum of care, and I agree with every presenter's comments on that today. With compassion in our hearts, it's deeply un-Canadian to just let people be palliated in their addiction without making them a serious offer for recovery. We need to expand treatment capacity. We need to reduce barriers, eliminate costs and blow it wide open.
People who oppose me say, yes, that's fine, but we need to build treatment and recovery. Who's doing that other than Alberta? We're putting our money where our mouth is.