House of Commons Hansard #177 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was community.

Topics

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4 p.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

I remind the member to address the questions to the Chair and not to the individual member, and to get to her question, as time is of the essence.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4 p.m.

NDP

Sheri Benson NDP Saskatoon West, SK

Madam Speaker, the hon. member spoke about the need for additional addiction and treatment services. That is a big issue here. We are trying to play catch-up from the previous government, which cut those services.

Will the member join me in asking the Liberal government to invest back into addiction services and make up for what we have lost from years of non-funding?

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

Madam Speaker, I understand my colleague's comments on the past 10 years. I understand that sometimes it is easy to get political, but I believe that politics have no place in the current crisis. We agree on certain things that we should be focusing on in order to resolve this crisis as quickly as possible.

If the hon. member is asking me whether there should be more resources, I would say yes, there should be more resources for families, for addicts, and for all these people. It is not just by managing how people inject themselves that they are going to inject themselves less often. They are just going to do so more safely. The question is what needs to be done to prevent the problem in the first place. I have always advocated for helping the victims of addiction, whether they are addicts themselves or there are addicts in their families. That was my position for the past 10 years and will be for the next 10 years.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

Louis-Hébert Québec

Liberal

Joël Lightbound LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health

Madam Speaker, I have a fairly simple question for the member. First, I would like to thank him for his speech.

For the past 10 years, the government's approach involved doing away with the harm reduction aspects of the anti-drug strategy. The purpose of that strategy is to ensure that we do not stigmatize drug users and that, instead, we treat them with the dignity they are entitled to and deserve.

Does my colleague agree that there would be no need for Bill C-37 today if the previous government had developed criteria for approving supervised consumption sites that were consistent with what we learned from the Supreme Court and that would have allowed us to open such sites more quickly in communities where they are needed and requested? We know that these sites save lives. The science is clear. No one has ever died at a supervised consumption site. They prevent overdoses. I think that is the way to go.

Does my colleague agree that it was a mistake for the previous government to do away with the harm reduction aspects of the strategy?

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

No, Madam Speaker, it was not a mistake, and no, I will not get into that debate now.

I think that is all.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

Madam Speaker, during this debate on Bill C-37, we have heard a lot about harm reduction, but we have heard very little about treatment. Indeed, in Bill C-37 there is only one mention of treatment.

We have some very good amendments brought forward by the Senate that would focus on treatment, amendments that the government opposes.

I was wondering if the hon. member could comment on why the government would emphasize so much on harm reduction, but not on treatment.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

Madam Speaker, how can anyone oppose an amendment like this?

A person who is responsible for the direct supervision, at a supervised consumption site, of the consumption of controlled substances, shall offer a person using the site alternative pharmaceutical therapy before that person consumes a controlled substance that is obtained in a manner not authorized under this Act.

How can anyone oppose such a simple amendment that gives people an alternative way to get the medication they need? We all agree that they need substances to stay alive, but the government, unfortunately, is rejecting this amendment for the second time.

I do not understand how a government that claims to be so in touch with people can fail to grasp something so simple.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON

Madam Speaker, that was a great speech by my colleague. The government prides itself when it says it is doing all kinds of consultations, but what is quite interesting, when we are looking at injection sites, is that the Liberals seem to not want to do that. Even with Canada Post, a government organization, they will ask municipalities where they want these placed. They have an ombudsman, if there is a problem in the community and people want to make improvements. However, with the bill, there is absolutely nothing.

Why does the hon. member think that the Liberals do not want to consult and not want to have committees that are able to give them advice on how that is working in their community? We heard in committee that it is only if these sites have local support that they are actually effective.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

The member for Mégantic—L'Érable can give a brief answer.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC

Madam Speaker, my answer will be very brief.

I do not understand why they are trying to force things on people. If the government consults them and educates them, they will probably be the first to see that these supervised sites can do a lot of good.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, this is indeed a very serious issue that we are debating today. I would like to maybe look at it from a few different perspectives.

First, I would like to compliment our first responders. There are many individuals involved in combatting this issue, and I want to pay special tribute to the first responders. Whether paramedics, ambulance services, firefighters, police, or law enforcement agents, they are often called to a scene not knowing what they are walking into. There are some fairly horrific circumstances that they can find themselves in. They do such an admirable job of saving lives and making a difference. It is important, as legislators, that we acknowledge the tremendous efforts of our first responders. They are indeed on the front line.

I have pointed out some of them. They are in our hospitals, in our emergency rooms, our social workers, and other individuals, who have carried the ball and operated on the front lines trying to deal with this crisis situation.

That is what it is. Canada is in a national health crisis today. It is happening in communities throughout our country. We have heard a good number of members talk about how serious and large the crisis is. We hear a lot about British Columbia and Alberta. However, we need to recognize that individuals are accidentally dying in all regions as a direct result of overdose.

I believe that all members of the House recognize this, and we all want to contribute in different ways. I know for some members of Parliament it is more of an issue because of the magnitude within their constituencies, while others are concerned because they understand the magnitude of the issue on a nationwide basis.

If we think of it in terms of the province of Ontario, for example, on average, over two people a day are dying because of accidental overdose of fentanyl or other opioids. That is tragic, but that is not the greatest percentage, as has been pointed out. British Columbia is probably the hardest-hit province. In my own province of Manitoba, I can recall, and it was not that long ago, a situation in a community that I represent, where three people were found at one place who had accidentally overdosed.

This issue is not only affecting inner cities of large cities, it is taking place in our communities, both urban and rural. It is not just the poor areas of our urban centres; it is also our suburbs. This is an issue that has touched all different social and economic stratas in one way or another.

That is why I am very pleased with the government's approach. Virtually since taking office, our Minister of Health has recognized the magnitude of this crisis. She has taken a number of actions that have gone a long way in better educating people about it, and ultimately saving lives.

I want to talk about that in a bit, but, for now, I want to give a little backgrounder. It was not that long ago that I was sitting on the other side of the House and I was talking about the Vancouver Insite injection site. It was established, I believe in 2003 or 2004. Over the years, the site has saved thousands of lives because of its very existence. It is important that we recognize how it came into being.

This Insite location was not just a flash in the pan. In fact, there was a great deal of dialogue that occurred, at all different levels of government. It occurred in terms of the community getting engaged, and by many different professionals who had to deal with accidental overdoses. There was a great deal of brainstorming, a lot of community outreach, and there was a need for different levels of government to co-operate in order to see it happen.

I can recall sitting on the other side a couple of years ago, saying that we have a situation in a community in Canada that wants to develop a safe injection site to assist in preventing accidental overdoses of heroin and other potentially life-threatening drugs. The problem was that there was no legal framework in place that would allow for that injection site to exist. This would have been in the Paul Martin and Jean Chrétien era. In British Columbia, civic politicians worked with community members and developed the idea that Ottawa would give Insite the opportunity to open its doors, recognizing that it was in violation of our laws in terms of the injection of illegal drugs. The exemption was allowed in order for this injection site to be located in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.

For years, it was operational and doing quite well. It emphasized issues such as harm reduction, prevention, treatment, and enforcement. It advocated for these things, and it opened its doors to individuals who felt the need to use the facility. Had that facility not been opened in 2003-04, there would have been thousands of lives that would have been lost as a result.

Over the years of its existence, we found that it has been exceptionally well utilized. Research shows that thousands of referrals went to other types of agencies, such as non-profit agencies and government. I believe it assisted in changing the direction of many lives that would not have continued if that site were not in existence. That has been lost in the debate thus far. We talk today about how we can help more, when we have an injection site that has had a profound and positive impact in a community that was in real need.

The Stephen Harper government made a policy decision to discourage safe injection sites.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:15 p.m.

An hon. member

Oh, oh!

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, the member across the way clapped, and I would like to challenge the Conservative Party as to why they are adamantly opposed to something that has been so successful for Canadians as whole.

If members did the research and checked with medical practitioners and social workers to get a sense of the results Insite in Vancouver has had, they could not possibly say it is bad thing. Not only has it saved lives, it has also redirected lives. In many ways, it has helped the communities. The Conservative Party wants to overlook or turn a blind eye to the many positive things. I find that unfortunate.

When the Liberals were in opposition, the Conservatives were making it more and more difficult to give any consideration to any new sites being located elsewhere in Canada. Members will recall that they they brought in legislation and the bill was debated at second reading. The government had to bring in time allocation. When it got to committee, we listened to the reports being presented and we got a very clear indication of why this was of such great value to our communities, moving forward not backward on the issue.

True to form, the Conservative Party pushed the issue until the legislation ultimately passed. Then, to no surprise, after the election, there was a pilot project of sorts, Insite, in Vancouver, British Columbia, which has been demonstrated to be a huge success. Now we have legislation before us that will enable other communities, where it has been deemed necessary, to establish similar sites.

The Conservatives are preaching fear. They are trying to say that the government is really proposing to have all these injection sites scattered throughout our country in all the different regions and communities. They are saying that there is going to be flood of these injection sites. That has not been our experience to date and the Conservatives know this is not the reality of the situation.

Let there be no doubt that with this legislation, we will enable communities, such as Montreal and others that believe their communities would benefit by having a safe injection site, to have that opportunity.

The Conservatives like to say that it should be community based and community driven. That is a given. That is in fact what does take place. Communities do work together. There are stakeholders in different communities. Where there is a justified need, we could possibly see one appear.

We are not talking about hundreds, which the Conservatives try give the impression. It will be based on the desires and needs of different stakeholders, different communities. I suspect it will be well-thought out before we see an injection site put in place. This is not determined overnight. There are a great many experts who get engaged on issues of this nature.

As I indicated, when we were in opposition, there were lengthy debates on this. Ultimately, it even went to the Senate. The Harper government was able to make it law. However, no one should be surprised that with a new government, we are taking an approach that is based on science and based on what is healthy for our communities. It is not just about what the Liberal Party thinks.

Since day one, the Minister of Health has recognized the very serious nature of this issue. She has worked with caucus colleagues and with members on both sides of the House to come to grips with this problem to see what we can do as a national government. The single biggest thing we could do, beyond the legislation itself, is to demonstrate national leadership on the issue, and we have done that.

We have worked with the provinces and municipalities and have come up with some special funding arrangements where the crisis is so great. There are about $10 million for British Columbia and several million dollars for Alberta. This money will go a long way toward saving lives.

The Minister of Health has had national conferences, many different meetings, whether one on one or with different stakeholders and provincial counterparts. There has been a great deal of dialogue on this issue. Interestingly enough, the only group I am aware of that has taken the position that this is a bad thing is the Conservative Party of Canada. It does not want this legislation to pass. Provinces and their regimes seem to recognize the value of what is being done here.

I would ask my Conservative colleagues across the way to look into the issue in more depth and get a better understanding of what constituents want. I believe my constituents would want a proactive approach in dealing with this health issue. It is best dealt with by working with others to try to make a difference. If we are successful, we will save lives.

From what I understand, more people die from fentanyl and opioids in the province of Ontario than those who die in fatal vehicle accidents. Three or more people will die on average every day in the province of British Columbia from drug overdose. Two people a day will die in the province of Alberta. People are dying all across the country from drug overdoses. Passing this legislation will not prevent people from dying, but it is part of a more comprehensive package that will make a difference.

I will give my NDP colleagues credit for the fact that they have recognized how important it is that we take this action. It is not very often we get co-operation when we try to get legislation passed through the House. However, we saw that at second reading ,when the legislation was in the House for debate for the first time. We are seeing it again today. The leader of the Green Party has also recognized the importance of this issue.

In reflecting on the community which I represent, it is not good enough for us to close our eyes out of fear of taking action. We can do better at fighting the problem of drug abuse that is facing our communities and our country as a whole. No community is exempt from drug abuse. If we can take initiatives that will make a difference, that will save lives, that will possibly put people on another course, then we should be bold enough to take them.

I would ask all members to support Bill C-37, send it back to the Senate, and make this the law of Canada.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

Madam Speaker, some of the witnesses who appeared before the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs said that people who were wealthy and addicted would get treatment and people who were poor and victimized would get a supervised injection site. The fact is that the Downtown Eastside has had a supervised injection site for 14 years, and 14 years later, it has the highest rates of addiction, HIV, and hepatitis C. At best, supervised injection sites are a stopgap measure. In Bill C-37, there was a lot of focus around harm reduction, but only one mention of treatment.

Where is the government's strategy when it comes to treatment and prevention? It seems it has been lost in Bill C-37.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, I disagree with my colleague. If we look at the safe injection site in Vancouver, with which I know my colleague is very familiar, he would be aware of the fact that there have been thousands of referrals, and those referrals cover a wide spectrum of agencies, government, non-profit, and possibly private. As a result, a significant number of those referrals end up in treatment.

At the very least, safe injection sites would save lives in providing treatment through referral programs. The provinces and the federal government would work more closely to ensure there were additional treatment programs. The minister is doing everything possible to deal with this crisis, and the importance of treatment has not been lost on us.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:30 p.m.

NDP

Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC

Madam Speaker, it is not often that the member for Winnipeg North and I agree on something. In this case, saving lives is critical.

In my riding of Courtenay—Alberni in particular, as a result of 20 deaths last year in this small community due to deadly carfentanil, Inspector Brian Hunter from the RCMP brought the community, the mayor and council of the city of Port Alberni, Island Health, and front-line resources together to have a conversation about how to move forward. Island Health Medical Health Officer Dr. Paul Hasselback said that the need for an overdose prevention site, which he cannot legally call a safe injection site, was as great in the Alberni Valley as it was in other British Columbian communities. He said, “We are now in a crisis, state of emergency, or a public health emergency in the state of British Columbia.” They reacted in the most positive way in what they could do.

The Port Alberni Shelter Society and Island Health, with the support of city council, have implemented an overdose prevention site in Port Alberni in response to Vancouver Island's public health emergency with fentanyl. The medical health officer raised concerns around two of the Senate amendments in the bill, which impose an unnecessary administration duty on the operation of the site. We know amendment three, offering a person using a supervised consumption site alternative pharmaceutical therapy before the person consumes a controlled substance, is key. We know it is important, but we also know it is likely not constitutional and it is unnecessary. As we know, these sites already offer treatment options that are part of harm-reduction facilities.

Does the member support these amendments or does he want to move forward with what is in place now?

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, I know the Minister of Health and her department have been going through the amendments proposed by the Senate. There is a sense of urgency in passing the legislation. The House had the opportunity of sending it to one of the standing committees. The ministry of health was already aware of most of the issues, if not virtually all of them, raised by the Senate. At the end of day, if there is something that can further improve it and not impede the passage of the legislation, the Minister of Health and the government are at least open to it.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:35 p.m.

Bloc

Luc Thériault Bloc Montcalm, QC

Madam Speaker, in a crisis as significant and unprecedented as the fentanyl and carfentanil crisis, the harm reduction approach, relatively speaking, has been much more effective than a coercive approach. Even still, we are a far cry from prevention.

My colleague from Mégantic—L'Érable asked a sincere question and I believe that the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons could use his eloquence to help the hon. Conservative member from Mégantic—L'Érable understand why these sites would not offer drug therapy.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons explain what the problem is with this amendment?

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, I will do as much research I can in terms of looking at legislation to try to provide comments and thoughts on it, but we need to recognize that there are individuals who have a better sense of the best way to move forward on issues. I have full confidence in the ability of the Minister of Health and the department to work with the different stakeholders to make sure that if we can move forward on a particular amendment, we would at the very least be open to the idea. However, let us not lose the importance of urgency as a factor, and if in fact it can be improved upon, I am sure that we will be hearing that in the coming hours.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Winnipeg North for the good work that he does. I am certain that the hon. member is aware of the opioid crisis in Surrey, where my riding of Surrey—Newton is located.

Could the hon. member tell the House what has been done so far and what the strategy is moving forward?

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, the member for Surrey—Newton has been a very strong advocate on this issue, whether it has been on the floor here in the House or within the caucus in terms of the Minister of Health, as I know first-hand, as he has tried to ensure that we all understand what is taking place in Surrey. I can tell the member across the way that one of the reasons I believe the Minister of Health has gone into Surrey is the advocacy role that the member has played.

In addition, we recognize that British Columbia is in a unique situation in terms of this public health issue. Nowhere is it stronger than in the province of British Columbia, and I applaud the member for what he has done to date.

There is always more that we can do. I know the member will continue to lobby on this particular issue. His constituents expect him to, and I know he will.

One of the things that I would highlight is the fact that as the member would know, it is not just the legislation; money has also materialized through the national government and the Minister of Health. The member has talked to first responders. We need to continue to work with the people at ground level and the different levels of government in order to combat this issue to help not only his community in Surrey but also Canada as a whole.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:35 p.m.

Conservative

Harold Albrecht Conservative Kitchener—Conestoga, ON

Madam Speaker, I was listening intently to my colleague across the way describing the so-called safe injection site in Vancouver. He used the term “huge success”. I do not see how anyone could call that a huge success.

However, my question is this: why would the government refuse the amendment that dealt with the formation of citizen advisory committees when it is looking at possibly locating a site within their community, yet insist on more and more consultation to place public community mailboxes? The government seems to have its values completely upside down in that regard.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, that is the type of debate we would have had when we were in opposition and Stephen Harper was the prime minister.

At the end of the day, what we are saying is it is silly to believe that we are just going to have a safe injection site appear out of nowhere. There is going to be consultation. We all know that. All we need to do is take a look at the very first one that was created in Canada. It was done without having to be legally mandated.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:40 p.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

I just want to remind the member for Kitchener—Conestoga that he was afforded the opportunity to ask a question without being disturbed, and I would anticipate that he would like to hear the answer. If he has a follow-up question, he could always get up on that as well.

It is my duty pursuant to Standing Order 38 to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith, Status of Women; the hon. member for Essex, Health; and the hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill, Public Safety.

Controlled Drugs and Substances ActGovernment Orders

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

John Barlow Conservative Foothills, AB

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for South Surrey—White Rock.

I have to admit that speaking to Bill C-37 is difficult. I want to try to clear the air. I remember listening to this debate initially when it first came up in the House and certainly sitting through much of the debate today, and one thing I want to address is the misperception that because we are speaking out on this issue as Conservative members, somehow we do not believe that the fentanyl crisis is a crisis and do not think it is an issue.

The numbers are staggering. We are looking at 340 accidental fentanyl overdoses in Alberta last year and 650 in B.C. We heard from the Minister of Health that it could very well be 1,400 in 2017. We are in a crisis when it comes to the opioid abuse that is happening, especially in western Canada, but it is definitely sweeping into other parts of the country as well.

We have spoken today about the numbers, but I think most of us in this House, or many of us, understand this is more than just numbers. My colleague from South Surrey—White Rock has obviously been fighting very hard on this issue.

This is something that has hit very close to my home. I have a rural Alberta riding. I know that many people do not assume that such an issue like this is a rural issue, that it is more an urban issue that is affecting our big cities, but that is simply not the case.

Unfortunately, I have attended a couple of funerals over the last few months of friends, acquaintances who have died of fentanyl overdoses, and these are in our small rural Alberta communities. Kainai First Nation in southern Alberta had 18 overdoses over a period of just a month last year. This has hit very close to my community. Unfortunately, my family and our friends have been impacted by the fentanyl crisis.

Unfortunately, some of the members opposite have put it out there that because we are speaking out about this issue and raising some concerns with Bill C-37, somehow we are cold-hearted and are not understanding the impact this fentanyl crisis is having on Canadians. That makes me extremely frustrated and angry, because all of us understand what is going on and how serious this issue is.

We are fighting as hard as we possibly can as parliamentarians, as we should, to make sure we are doing the best for Canadians. Our communities across Canada are looking toward us as parliamentarians to stand up and do something about this crisis. We are doing that, but we cannot just do that without also being the voice for our communities.

My rural communities understand that the fentanyl crisis is impacting all of us in southern Alberta, but my communities are also saying that they want us to ensure they have a voice at the table. When it comes to selecting safe injection sites, I have to admit I was really surprised when councils from communities as small as Stavely, Alberta, are writing me letters saying that it is not that they disagree with safe injection sites; their concern is they want to ensure that they have consultation on whether their community wants it or does not, and if it does, they want input on where it goes. I do not think that is out of line.

I think our municipalities and the governments that are closest to the issue understand what is going on in their communities much better than the Minister of Health in Ottawa, and I mean no offence to the health minister. I appreciate the Liberals' taking the effort to get Bill C-37 going, because we have to do something. As I said, Canadians are expecting us to do something. I think Canadians are frustrated because they do not think we have done enough, and I have to agree with them. This is not something that is going away.

Unfortunately, we are having this debate here today when in February, this could have been moved that much quicker. We put a motion on the floor to split this bill in half, to give the CBSA additional powers to address the trafficking into Canada—the bulk of fentanyl and carfentanil comes from China—and the tools to better enforce our borders, and also to give the Minister of Health additional tools to address new and dangerous drugs.

Those are the things that we wanted to move quickly. We wanted to try to start saving lives immediately. All we asked was that the portion of Bill C-37 that dealt with safe injection sites be split off so that we could have further discussions about that. I was extremely frustrated to see the Liberals and the NDP vote against that motion, not once but twice.

I am a father of three. I have seen what fentanyl does to the kids in my communities. My kids have come home and told me about the issues that they have at their schools and in their friendship groups. We need to do something now, not later.

I appreciate that Bill C-37 is a first step, but as parliamentarians, we had an opportunity to do the right thing in February and we failed. Today, when we have an opportunity to further discuss what our communities are asking us to discuss, which is safe injection sites, the Liberals, supported by the NDP, passed a time allocation motion to cut off debate on this issue. Debate has now been cut off in the House of Commons and at committee stage. They are the ones who are telling us, as Conservatives, that we do not care, but really the message is that the Liberals and the NDP do not care about what our communities think about this issue.

My communities have been especially vocal. It is not about whether they believe that fentanyl is an issue and it is not about whether they believe that safe injection sites are one tool to address this; they want to have a say. They want to have input on how this will look, and right now, no matter what the people opposite are saying, they do not feel that this is the case. They do not feel, with the way that Bill C-37 looks, that they would have genuine consultation in this process.

It is not just my town councils and village councils, but also my local RCMP members. They also feel that they need a say in how this would work. My feeling is that if we want safe injection sites to be successful, we must have community buy-in. If we do not have community buy-in, they are not going to be successful. They are not going to do what they potentially can do.

The other issue that is not included in Bill C-37, which I think is another area where we have fallen woefully short, is there is nothing in here that stipulates resources for mental health and addictions counselling. That is something that has come up extremely loud and clear in my communities. It is very difficult to access those services in southwest and rural Alberta. I do not want to speak for other urban centres, but people close to Calgary have those opportunities. They are much closer and more accessible. In rural communities, it is extremely difficult.

To me, Bill C-37 is a good first step, but the big focus of this bill is on dealing with the consequences of the fentanyl crisis. I think our focus has to be on the root cause of the fentanyl crisis, and that is the addiction to these opioids and the ability of traffickers to get easy access to these drugs. It is ridiculously easy to buy these drugs.

Some of my communities are not near any urban centre, but many of my rural communities in the southern most part of Alberta are feeling this the most. They are nowhere near Calgary. We cannot just assume that this is an urban Canada problem.

I am not saying that my colleagues are making that assumption, but this is something that we have to be extremely aware of.

That is the focus of my disappointment. We are arguing about something that we could have addressed months ago, but we did not. This is not partisanship. From my own personal experience, I can say that that this has nothing to do with political parties; it is about doing the right thing for Canadians. They are looking to us as parliamentarians to do the right thing, to step up and take action on a crisis that is killing our communities. I do not think we can understate that. They are looking to us, as their elected officials, to take action. I think we have failed them, and we need to take a more active approach in doing something about the fentanyl crisis.