As I mentioned in my opening remarks, our government firmly believes that supervised injection sites should not be built without community consultation. We've embraced the need for consultation as one of the major ways that we are demonstrating respect for Canadians and for their communities on an issue like this.
The community opinions both for and against are one solid criterion that the Supreme Court has said that I, as Minister of Health, or any future minister of health must consider when looking at an application. My message to the committee is to allow me and future health ministers the ability to do just that. That's a big part of what this legislation does. These consultations will point to broad-based support, opposition, or perhaps even measured comments from either viewpoint. But the principle of having these discussions remains paramount. We obviously take very seriously the harm caused by dangerous and addictive drugs. We know serious concerns are raised by communities about what an injection site would bring to their neighbourhood.
It's for this reason and in support of the Supreme Court's requirement that Bill C-2 would require that rigorous criteria be addressed in advance of an application for a supervised injection site to be considered. It's also the reason why it's so important for all Canadians to have an opportunity to provide views before any site opens. As you've mentioned, the criteria that are set out in the bill would allow many different voices to be heard and inform the Minister of Health's consideration of an application. Applicants seeking to open a supervised injection site will have to seek input from local perspectives in the form of a letter outlining their opinion on the proposed activities from numerous groups.
For example, a letter would be required from the provincial health minister who is responsible for where the site would be located. The letter would outline his or her opinion on the proposed activities at the site, describe how these activities are integrated within the provincial health care system, and provide information about access to available drug treatment services for persons who would also use the site. Not only would this allow for the relevant provincial authority to have a say in the process, but it would also serve to further inform a federal health minister during the approval process.
The support of a provincial health minister in the application of a supervised injection site is certainly something worth considering.
In a similar vein we would expect letters from the municipal government as well and the head of the police force in the community to state their opinion on the record whether or not the proposed activities at the site are safe, including any concerns around public health, so of course public safety.
Lastly, we would hope to see letters from the head or the lead health professional such as the chief public health officer for the province and the provincial minister responsible for public safety to make sure their opinions are on the record. Applicants will also be required to hold consultations with relevant professional licensing authorities in the province and a broad range of community groups in the municipality. They'll need to provide reports of these consultations, including summaries of the opinions heard, copies of any written submissions received, and a description of any steps taken to address any relevant concerns that were raised during consultations.
The bottom line here is that the voices of the local community need to be represented clearly. They need to be provided with the opportunity to make their views known. This is an issue that affects people in their community. Whether or not someone is applying to put a site in a residential neighbourhood I think it's just common sense that we would involve all stakeholders in the process and that their views would be sought before we move to an application.
When we go through consultation processes, whether it's other controversial projects proceeding, we see time and again relevant stakeholders and stakeholders directly impacted by that project wanting to have a voice in the process. That's what this does.
I think it's absolutely necessary that it happen.