House of Commons Hansard #368 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was treatment.

Topics

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6:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

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6:45 p.m.

Some hon. members

Yea.

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6:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

All those opposed will please say nay.

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6:45 p.m.

Some hon. members

Nay.

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6:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

In my opinion the yeas have it.

And five or more members having risen:

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #977

Criminal CodeGovernment Orders

7:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

I declare the motion carried.

Pursuant to order made on Thursday, December 6, the House shall now resolve itself into committee of the whole to consider Government Business No. 26. I do now leave the chair for the House to go into committee of the whole.

(House in committee of the whole on Government Business No. 26, Mr. Bruce Stanton in the chair)

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton

Before we begin this evening's debate I would like to remind hon. members how the proceedings will unfold.

Each member speaking will be allotted 10 minutes for debate, followed by 10 minutes for questions and comments. The debate will end after four hours, or when no member rises to speak. Pursuant to the order adopted Thursday, December 6, 2018, members may divide their time with another member and the Chair will not receive any dilatory motions, quorum calls or requests for unanimous consent. I will also remind hon. members, as with the rules for committees of the whole, members will be recognized from the seat in the chamber of their choice.

We will now begin tonight's take-note debate.

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:10 p.m.

Waterloo Ontario

Liberal

Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

moved:

That the House take note of the opioid crisis in Canada.

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7:10 p.m.

Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe New Brunswick

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor LiberalMinister of Health

Mr. Chair, it is always an honour to rise in the House to debate and discuss issues that are important to Canadians.

As we gather here tonight, our country is in a national public health crisis. Over the past two and a half years, over 8,000 Canadians have lost their lives as a result of the opioid crisis. It is the most significant health issue in Canada's recent history.

This crisis is as complex as it is tragic. It is playing out across the country, in many different settings, yet the heartbreaking reality remains the same.

Last year in Vancouver, 370 people died of opioid-related overdoses. In Windsor, it recently claimed the lives of four unrelated people in a 24-hour period. On the Blood reserve in Alberta, paramedics responded to some 150 overdose calls in a single weekend in 2017.

From big cities to mid-size centres to rural areas, no corner of Canada has been spared this crisis. This epidemic takes the life of one Canadian every three hours. I believe it is worth repeating: One Canadian every three hours loses his or her life as a result of the opioid crisis.

While media coverage can sometimes make it seem like a distant problem, the opioid crisis certainly affects us all. Recently the stepson of B.C.'s Minister of Agriculture tragically died as a result of an overdose. While studies show that men in their thirties are most likely to die of an overdose, the impact is truly widespread. Each death devastates families, friends and communities as a whole.

Most tragic is the impact on our children. Overdose deaths have left a growing number of children without a mother or a father, or worse, as orphans. In the municipality of Brant, Ontario, one-quarter of the calls to child and family services involve parents using opioids.

The sad reality is that few Canadians are left untouched by this crisis, from coast to coast to coast.

The root causes of this crisis are many. We know that the over-prescribing of opioids has played a critical role and that toxic, illicit fentanyl continues to permeate our borders. For too long, leaders have been slow to react.

As Canada's health minister, there is no issue more important to me than this one. This was the first file I was briefed upon when I became Minister of Health, and I have to say, it is truly the file that keeps me up at night.

We are working to turn the tide on this national public health crisis. We certainly have to make sure that a response is compassionate, collaborative, and evidence-based. We are treating this as a health issue, and certainly not as a criminal one. We are taking action to save lives.

To support prevention, we are working to raise awareness to fight stigma, as we recognize that it is truly an obstacle. To increase access to treatment, we have made major investments with provinces and territories and have enacted new legislation to cut red tape. To better understand the crisis, we have improved data collection and surveillance.

We have also added money to better address this crisis. We committed $231 million in the 2018 budget. The provinces and territories will receive $150 million of this amount so that they can directly help the Canadians who are struggling with this issue.

We also took steps to make treatment easier to access by changing the rules that no longer made sense. For example, nurses could not transport certain controlled substances, but we changed that. They can now provide better care to Canadians living in rural and remote areas.

Properly addressing this crisis is impossible to do without including harm reduction. We support harm reduction, because we know that harm reduction saves lives. It means treating substance use and addiction not as a moral issue but as a medical one. It means asking ourselves not which solution fits our ideology but rather which one will help people.

Since coming into office, our government has placed harm reduction at the centre of our response when it comes to the opioid crisis. A core feature of that response is supervised consumption sites. For too long, these sites and harm reduction were used as a political wedge issue, yet we know that these sites save lives. That is why we have streamlined the application process for supervised consumption sites.

There are presently 28 sites operating across Canada. They have received over 125,000 visits in the past 18 months and have reversed over 1,100 overdoses, without a single fatality at any of these sites.

To further save lives, we have helped establish temporary prevention sites where the need is urgent. However, the federal government is merely one actor in a broader response. Progress is impossible without the collaboration of provincial and territorial governments, community partners and much more.

Most importantly, solving this crisis requires listening to those who know it best, those who understand its wrenching realities and those who live this crisis day in and day out. When I think of this, I think of individuals like Jeff Fleming.

Jeff was a service and support worker working the night shift in a downtown mission in Windsor, helping folks struggling with mental health and addiction issues. What set him apart from the other staff was that Jeff himself struggled with substance use disorder. His own experience with addiction only strengthened his resolve, because he wanted to help others. Jeff's colleagues said it made him better at his job. They noted how he treated everyone with respect and dignity, pushing to get people the help they needed, even in the face of insults or worse, yet last month, Jeff Fleming died of a suspected overdose.

Unfortunately, Jeff's story is not unique. If we take one thing from his story, it is that we must listen before it is too late. This is why we have made it a priority to engage and involve those affected by this crisis. In September, I hosted a two-day symposium that brought together close to 200 stakeholders and partners. The voices around the table, from those with lived experience to researchers to people suffering from chronic pain to front-line service providers, reinforced our belief that we make better policies when all voices are heard.

I would now like to take a few moments to talk about stereotypes. The preconceived idea that problematic substance use should be seen as a personal failure is hindering our efforts to help those who need it.

Having spent my life helping many men and women with substance abuse problems, I know that treating this situation as a health issue is the best way to help these individuals. It is also the best way to help their families and friends, who are also affected by stereotypes.

People with substance abuse problems often do not ask for help because they are afraid of facing these stereotypes. In British Columbia alone, 90% of those who died of an overdose died alone at home. That is why I encourage Canadians to be careful about the words they use when they talk about problematic substance use.

Changing preconceived ideas is not easy, but being more respectful, showing compassion and being careful about our choice of words are steps in the right direction. There is still no miracle cure for people with substance abuse problems, but I have to say that I am optimistic. I will continue to encourage all those who are working to deal with this crisis to develop bold new solutions.

We have started to do just that. It is now possible for people to have their drugs tested at consumption sites. We have also funded projects to develop more practical testing tools. We will continue to find bold solutions to help those who need it.

Today Canada faces our most significant public health crisis in recent history. It is complex and challenging from every angle, be it social, medical or legal. There are no easy solutions when it comes to the opioid crisis. We must remember that no one wakes up one morning and decides to have an overdose. This crisis is a human tragedy, and our response must be compassionate.

This evening I have highlighted only a few of the many actions our government has taken to save lives and address this tragic situation. I understand members' sense of urgency, and I share that sense of urgency as well. We can and we will do more. Know that our government is deeply distressed by this national public health crisis, and we will do everything in our power to stop it.

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:25 p.m.

Conservative

Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON

Mr. Chair, the Minister of Health mentioned that the opioid crisis is her number one priority. When I look at the spending of the government, I see that the Liberals can find money for a $4.5 billion pipeline, $800 million to legalize marijuana, $1.1 billion for illegal asylum seekers, and most recently, $600 million to try to buy the media in an election year, but $250 million is the amount that has been pledged for the opioid crisis, and only a fraction of that has actually been spent.

How can it be such a big priority when there has been a lack of resourcing for prevention and recovery?

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:25 p.m.

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB

Mr. Chair, as indicated in my comments this evening, when we look at the opioid crisis, we are dealing with a national public health crisis, and our government is taking action. I was very pleased that in budget 2018, significant investments were made to help provinces and territories address the issue of treatment on the ground. We have heard from provinces and territories, and they want to make sure that they have additional resources. That is why we are in the process of negotiating bilateral agreements with provinces and territories to ensure that they receive additional funding to help those who need it most.

I am also extremely pleased that we were able to provide significant funding in the area of addressing stigma. We recognize that often Canadians are not receiving the treatment they need because of the stigma associated with it. Individuals who work within the system want to make sure that we have a campaign in place and that significant work is done to address stigma. We want to make sure that we address every aspect to ensure that Canadians receive the help they need.

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:25 p.m.

Liberal

Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey—Newton, BC

Mr. Chair, as the minister said earlier, this is a health crisis. It is no different where I come from. I hosted a symposium in my office in July 2016, and many residents were concerned. There are many steps our government has taken.

Where I come from, the Vancouver Port is nearby and the land border is nearby. I would like to ask the minister what steps have been taken to make sure that we are able to stop fentanyl and opioids coming across our borders, whether through the port or across land borders?

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:25 p.m.

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB

Mr. Chair, the Minister of Public Safety and I are working very closely to ensure that additional resources are put in place to address the illicit entry of fentanyl and other drugs that are entering our borders. We continue to work in close collaboration to ensure that we put all steps and measures in place so that this is addressed.

I was very pleased this summer that I was able to attend Surrey and speak with many individuals in the community, as they have shared that the opioid crisis has affected them tremendously. I was very pleased that we were able to sign a bilateral agreement with that province to ensure that additional services are put in place on the ground to effectively help citizens who are affected by the crisis.

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:25 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

Mr. Chair, the minister repeatedly uses the phrase “public health crisis”, but she studiously avoids calling the opioid epidemic what we in the New Democratic Party call it, which is a public health emergency. On this side of the House, we have repeatedly called, for two years, for the government to declare a public health emergency under the Emergencies Act.

The government and the minister repeatedly say that there are no powers under the Emergencies Act that they are not exercising now. I am going to quote from the Emergencies Act, section 8(1). It says that this gives clear authority to make “orders or regulations” that it believes “are necessary for dealing with an emergency”, including “the establishment of emergency shelters and hospitals”.

In this country, including in Vancouver, we have overdose prevention sites that are operating right now illegally that are saving lives. Eleven Canadians are dying every single day to the opioid overdose crisis, yet if the government declared a public health emergency under the Emergencies Act, it could designate overdose prevention sites as emergency shelters or hospitals under the act, thereby rendering them legal and subject to federal funding. They are operating illegally, with not a nickel of federal funding.

Why is the minister continuing to insist that the Emergencies Act would give her no power to do anything she is not doing? Obviously, the act would allow her to save lives immediately by declaring overdose prevention sites legal and giving them federal funding to save lives.

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:30 p.m.

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB

Mr. Chair, the member opposite talks about a public emergency. We have made it very clear, and I have made it very clear to him personally, that if declaring this a public health emergency would provide me with any additional powers to effectively help the situation on the ground, we would be doing so. However, we have have consulted on that with my friend and colleague, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and there are no additional resources and additional powers that would be given to me.

We have spoken to our partners on the ground with respect to the provinces and territories, and they have indicated to us that additional financial support could certainly help them to address the situation and provide their clients with the help they need. That is why I am pleased that in budget 2018, we have been able to make significant investments in the emergency treatment fund. We are in the process of finalizing the last negotiations with provinces and territories, as they have made it very clear that they want to ensure that Canadians have access to services on the ground when it comes to treatment. Those are exactly the investments we are making.

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:30 p.m.

Conservative

Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON

Mr. Chair, there have been quite a number of questions here on the funding in British Columbia. However, with the funding announced by the health minister, we now have 27 new safe injection sites, according to media reports.

However, in British Columbia, only 25 beds for treatment were funded, so out of $33.1 million, the minister has allocated money to a whole bunch of new safe injection sites, yet there are still only 25 new rehabilitation beds that have been put in place. When we speak to people at every one of these injection sites, they say there is not enough bandwidth when we are finally getting people who are hurting with this problem and who want help to be able to access those funds immediately. When will the minister stand up and use the funding to actually fund recovery, not just for a place to go to inject the illegal drugs?

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:30 p.m.

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB

Mr. Chair, the emergency treatment fund actually consists of bilateral agreements that we have signed with the provinces and territories. It is not the federal government that tells the provinces where the money has to go. If provinces and territories choose to fund additional beds in treatment centres, that is completely their decision and at their discretion. We simply want to make sure that the money is going to go where it is needed. If it is to ensure that there are additional beds for services on the ground, that is where we want the money to go.

Furthermore, as I have indicated, I am very proud to say that negotiations for our bilateral agreements are going very well and that we are hoping to finalize those agreements in the very near future.

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:30 p.m.

NDP

Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Chair, the minister mentioned that she has put in place some measures at the borders. I have worked in the area of training border guards and I know how many federal pieces of legislation they are responsible for checking. Could the minister tell us how many additional resources have been put to train and assist our border officials, particularly on the west coast or anywhere where shipments may be coming in from China, to inspect very carefully for fentanyl and carfentanil to make sure that we are catching every single shipment of these drugs coming into our country?

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:30 p.m.

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB

Mr. Chair, we certainly recognize that the contamination of drug supply is an area of concern. That is why in budget 2018 I was pleased there monies to support the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness with respect to border services. We recognize that more needs to be done in that area. That is why in budget 2018 I was pleased to see additional resources put in place to deal with the situation.

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:30 p.m.

Conservative

Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC

Mr. Chair, I am very disheartened to be standing up in the House again. I remember that we stood here many years ago talking about some very tragic incidents and deaths in my riding from fentanyl.

We managed, through a public health approach, to do amazing work on drinking and driving. We managed to do amazing work on tobacco reduction. What we are not doing is accomplishing anything here. We have more people dying. When will the minister start to get creative and take new approaches to deal with a tragedy that we seem to have become desensitized to? We need new approaches that would work, because clearly what the minister has done to date has not made a difference.

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:30 p.m.

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB

Mr. Chair, I would have to disagree with the member opposite. Our government has been very creative in its approach and has moved forward to ensure that we reintroduce harm reduction as a key pillar of our drug strategy. We recognize that “just saying no to drugs” does not work. We have to make sure that we meet clients where they are at. For some of them, it means meeting them at a supervised consumption site; for others, it means meeting them at a treatment facility. We have to make sure that our approach is innovative and that we meet patients where they are at.

Finally, I am proud of our government's position and the steps we have taken so far. We recognize that more needs to be done to deal with this crisis, but we have to recognize that one size fits all will not deal effectively with this crisis on the ground.

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7:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton

Before going to the next round and resuming debate, I would remind hon. members that they can be recognized in the seat of their choice. They do not have to be in their usual seat to participate in the debate.

I would add that it is great to see so many members interested in participating in the questions and comment time. That being the case, at least for now, I would ask all hon. members to keep their interventions to less than one minute in that portion of the debate. That way, we will be able to accommodate more members.

We will follow the usual way we do this. If it is a government member presenting their 10-minute speech, the large majority of questions will be given to other parties. When a different party is speaking, the other parties will get the preponderance of opportunities to ask questions during the 10-minute question and comment period.

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte.

Opioid Crisis in CanadaGovernment Orders

7:35 p.m.

Conservative

Alex Nuttall Conservative Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON

Mr. Chair, a week ago, I had the opportunity to stand in the House and request an emergency debate on the opioid crisis, because it is not just affecting one province anymore. It has been spreading across this country from large urban municipalities to medium and smaller municipalities, and even rural municipalities, as we have seen with the issues in Simcoe Muskoka. However, that request for a debate was turned down. I was told that we did not need an emergency debate, that it was not something the House needed to spend time on at that point. Well, I am very glad that the House leaders have come together and provided this opportunity here tonight.

I do not believe this to be a partisan issue. I think that no matter what happens, no matter where people are coming from, everyone agrees that Canadians want to see movement on this issue, and movement means fewer Canadians dying each and every year.

Governments have a problem with putting measurables in place to ensure that their plans and strategies are working. If we are going to put measurables in place for the opioid crisis, we need to show that we are reducing the number of Canadians dying each and every year from this crisis, to the point where we are able to say that we have made headway.

This has obviously come on the backs of some devastating news back in Barrie. We have seen 36 deaths in 2017 related to this crisis. We have seen over and over again the different socio-economic problems that contribute to what is now an out-of-control crisis that started with simple opioids and has now extended to include fentanyl, carfentanil and other drugs on the streets in Barrie.

Different national newspapers have been coming to our region and writing about it. They say that the Simcoe Muskoka area of Ontario has been devastated by powerful opioids, like illicit fentanyl and carfentanil, with a significantly higher overdose rate there than the provincial average. They talk about how individuals are getting incarcerated for moving these substances. For example, a 21-year-old Barrie man is serving a seven-year sentence after pleading guilty to importing fentanyl in 2016. They say, to put it bluntly, that people are dying. Until his arrest, he was an unabashed importer and peddler of a variety of drugs, including, and most significantly, fentanyl.

The Globe and Mail said that the opioid crisis hit Barrie, Ontario with a painful shock. It says that the city has struggled for years with pockets of poverty, with its soup kitchens, methadone clinic and men's shelters. The downtown is a gathering place for the homeless, the mentally ill and those who were recently incarcerated, who tend to be vulnerable to drug addiction.

I can tell members that whatever the strategy is that the government has been putting forward, it is not working. I am not saying that to be a judge of past performance, but I am requesting that the government actually step up and put a strategy in place.

When the Minister of Health was asked about the Portuguese model, which seems to have worked, the response was, “Well, look, it's going to be essentially not my job to get everybody else in order on this”. However, it is, because this is not a provincial crisis. This is a national crisis that is spreading from province to province.

If the federal government did not believe it had responsibility for dealing with this, it would not have created safe consumption sites, which it is funding. Therefore, it cannot have it both ways. The federal government cannot say that this is not its problem, that it will just hand some money to the provinces, and then say that, actually, it is our problem and it is going to fund this over here. The government needs to have a strategy. It needs to work with health ministers across the country and deliver what it decides in unison, in uniformity. However, this has just not happened.

We have seen safe consumption sites, safe injection sites, what I call “illegal drug injection sites”, going up across the country. This has been happening now for years. However, over those same years, there has been a severe increase in the number of deaths, including a 40% increase between 2016 and 2017. In Simcoe Muskoka, there were 81 deaths. In Barrie, there were 36 deaths, and that is out of a population of 150,000 people. One newspaper described Barrie as a city where it would be unusual to have two homicides in one year, yet there have been 36 deaths there from opioid-related addictions or consumption.

It is absolutely devastating. What is more devastating is the government is not meeting the call. I do not pretend to stand here and say that the New Democrats, the Conservatives and the Liberals will agree on every piece of this. However, I do not think there is anyone in the chamber who could honestly stand and say that the strategy being used right now is working. It is not.

We need to ensure there is a comprehensive strategy that can help these people every step of the way. Sometimes a one-time use results in death. Sometimes it is an addiction. Sometimes it is laced in marijuana or crack. Fentanyl is being added, because it is so cheap, to “improve” the high that has resulted in so many deaths in so many circumstances.

We have not had a clear strategy, whether it is border security or to help those who are fighting an addiction. I have had the opportunity to visit The Works, the Moss Park, Insite and the area around Insite in downtown Vancouver. What I have seen is something that I do not want to see in Canada. People have been left behind by the system. Some of it is socio-economic, some of it homelessness and some of it is trauma. People are being left behind and they are being left behind by the government.

The reality is that we can do more. If $50 million can be tweeted out on a Saturday night to somebody in another country because he is a celebrity, then dammit we an help people who are Canadians, who have been living in the country forever and who have contributed to the tax system. We could put the funding in place to ensure the help is there. We will not save everybody, but we will do a heck of a lot better than we are doing right now. It has not been good enough.

I am a fiscal Conservative. I fight for low taxes. I fight for an efficient use of our tax dollars. I have not met a Canadian who has said that providing more rehabilitation, more recovery services, more support and more help for individuals who are fighting these addictions is a bad thing. We know it is a good thing. It helps the individual, it helps society and it is the right thing to do.

One might ask how I know these individuals are being left behind. The federal government is claiming it does not have a responsibility here, that is the responsibility of the provinces, but is doing everything at the same time, which is a very strange approach to what is being communicated by the health minister.

When the health minister says that the government has created 25 new injection sites and only 25 beds in British Columbia, which has seen over half of the deaths related to the opioid crisis, we are failing. People are being left behind.

When the government puts $1 million into a vending machine to provide opiates and only 25 beds are created, we are failing.

When we have failed to work with pharmacists who could be gatekeepers on this issue, who could ensure, when they see a prescription that is either too great in terms of the quantity of the opiate or too great in terms of the quantity of the number of pills being prescribed, when we fail to work with pharmacists who have to see, each and every time, the individual who has received the prescription, we are leaving people behind and we are leaving the gate open for more people to become addicted.

When the health minister says that the federal government is but one actor in the response, that is pretty much saying we are failing.

When we look at what we are doing and we fail to take responsibility, we are failing.

I know we will not answer or create all the solutions here tonight, but I hope, through this debate, the government will actually take note, change its path and put the funding where it needs to go. I guarantee that we can make headway on this issue. I hope everyone in the House will work together, moving forward, to ensure we leave no more Canadians behind.