Today marks two years since one of my staff members lost her brother Ryan to toxic drug poisoning after he was unable to access treatment. Every day more families receive tragic, life-altering news because their loved ones don't have the supports they need.
Minister Bennett, at this committee on June 15, I asked about investments in supports for people who use substances or who are in recovery. You spoke about the substance use and addictions program, saying, “We know the SUA program is hugely successful and oversubscribed. We will get that money out the door, and if we need more money, we'll go get it.”
This month I received a response to a question on the Order Paper demonstrating how oversubscribed the program is. After two calls for proposals, only 14% of the funding sought has been granted. The response mentioned funding availability as a reason for not selecting projects, as well as a list of 138 projects being kept in an inventory for future consideration.
It's clear that we need more money to provide the supports that people need. When are you going to “go get” the money?