I take offence to Mr. Johns' comment to you regarding the politicization of safe supply and the opioid crisis.
I do agree with you that we are seeing more of it. It is more evident. It is out in the open. Our communities look like war zones. I thank you for telling this committee what the high is like for those who are addicted to these drugs, and that they're chasing it all the time—continually chasing that high. It's why first responders say that if they attend somebody who has overdosed and they administer naloxone or what have you, the person who comes out of that or is rescued is very angry. Oftentimes they come up swinging.
I would offer to you this: Why politicians...and why it's become such a hot-button topic is that, since 2016, over 47,000 Canadians have lost their lives to overdoses. We continue to spend a lot of money on programs, but we're failing Canadians. That is why it is a hot-button topic.
We don't disagree with you in that more services should be there. At least on this side, we're saying we should do everything in our power to get people the help they need. I think that is part of the testimony that you provided earlier on.
Dr. Patel, what does primum non nocere mean in the Hippocratic oath?