Madam Chair, first, I think it is very important that we be very precise in our language. Nobody is calling any particular strategy a silver bullet in this debate and nobody is saying that decriminalization on its own is what is required. All the experts call for decriminalization and regulation to ensure that people are accessing their drugs through the health system, not buying their drugs at two in the morning on a street corner, in an alley, drug sick, from organized crime.
Interestingly, the grassroots of the Liberal Party voted at their own convention to bring in decriminalization because they realized that the cause of deaths in this country is people accessing a tainted drug supply.
I want to quote from an open letter signed by a coalition of 200 families, friends and organizations, including Bob Rae, the former leader of the Liberal Party. It states:
We urge you to be the progressive government you promised to be, choosing human rights and evidence-based policy over ideological relics.... We need you to listen to our voices as we call for the essential next step: decriminalization. The example of Portugal and other European countries illustrates that this policy works. We ask you to prevent thousands of more unnecessary deaths by supporting this resolution.
The exact same arguments were raised by the government for legalizing cannabis, namely, to take the product out of the hands of the black market, to ensure that Canadians have a supply of safe, regulated cannabis products. They are exactly identical to other drugs, except this is worse. These other drugs can kill.
It is even more important that we ensure that Canadians, if they are going to be using drugs, which nobody supports and nobody is encouraging, at least have access to drugs in known quantity and known substance so at least they are not dying. That is what New Democrats are calling for.