Mr. Speaker, the member mentioned the terrible impact of drugs on young people and the local communities. He even mentioned the downtown area of my own riding of Vancouver East.
I would like to pursue this a bit further. There is no question that the impact of illegal drugs is overpowering in terms of death and destruction, not just on individual lives but on whole communities. As he has pointed out, this does have a relationship to crime. It marginalizes people and involves them in taking on a criminal lifestyle.
Does the member's party agree that in order to deal with the issue of reducing the harm of obtaining drugs illegally on the street that we have to provide a social and medical response?
I have, for example, a motion coming up that will look at providing a heroin maintenance program. This will enable us to put chronic addicts into the medical system. They should not be out on the street leading very desperate lives and causing harm not only to themselves but to the whole community.
We have heard two members speak about the impact of drugs and the drug trade. Does the Reform Party recognize that there are victims and to continue with a criminalized approach does not really solve anything?
The member also mentioned growing poverty which, I agree, has been a tragedy in the country. I saw a letter the other day from a Reform member suggesting that housing and homelessness were not a national responsibility but a responsibility that should be left to the provinces. I am curious as to the Reform Party's position as articulated by the member today. Growing poverty also impacts on victims of crime and on the people involved in crime. The provision of housing as a basic human need is something that is very critical.
I would also like to know whether the Reform Party supports the provision of housing? Does it feel there is a role for the federal government to play in ensuring that there is no homelessness in Canada?