Mr. Speaker, we were hoping a year ago that the federal government would step up and declare the opioid overdose crisis a national emergency. We had testimony at the health committee. Dr. Emberley from the Canadian Pharmacists Association said that it was definitely a national problem, that no community was unaffected and for that reason, he believed it had to be treated as a national crisis. As well, Dr. Blackmer from the Canadian Medical Association said that the chief public officer should be coordinating a national response to the opioid overdose crisis.
There is a lot the federal government can learn from what is being done at the provincial level. This is a national emergency. We wish the Liberals had stepped up earlier. We certainly thought they were going to based on their election rhetoric. People have died in the interim. We want them to accelerate their actions and support front-line workers, addicts and their families.