Mr. Speaker, last night in Vancouver's downtown eastside, drug users began using Insite, the first officially sanctioned, supervised injection facility in North America. It is an historic day marking a commitment to restore health and dignity to a community that has witnessed and withstood much pain and scrutiny.
I want to pay tribute to the members of VANDU, the Portland Hotel, PIVOT and the Coalition for Harm Reduction, who never gave up hope to make Insite a reality to save lives, despite many barriers. The courage and commitment of Bud Osborn, Ann Livingston, Dean Wilson, Chuck, Earl, Brian, Melissa and many others who worked tirelessly is a powerful example of how justice can be won and the voices and needs of the most marginalized can be heard.
I feel honoured to have worked with this community to help bring about these measures to stop overdose deaths and prevent infections like HIV-AIDS and hepatitis C. There is still much to be done but we have begun at the right place.