Madam Chair, it is a tragic story about the member's friend.
In the last budget, there was $150 million to immediately expand treatment options, and treatment should be a central focus. There was also money, of course, for an education campaign to address the stigma associated with seeking treatment, because it is not just about making treatment available. It is also about making sure that Canadians are seeking the treatment they need. We know that the number one stigma for those seeking treatment is actually the criminal sanction.
Therefore, I do not think decriminalization is a silver bullet. I do not think that removing the criminal sanction and then stopping there is the answer. However, once we have expanded treatment, and there is money to expand treatment, surely the answer is to make sure it is as easy as possible for Canadians to seek treatment. Members need not take it from me. They can take it from the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, the Canadian Public Health Association, the BC Centre for Disease Control and chief medical officers across the country.
If we care about saving our friends' lives, and the friend of the member, surely it is about expanding treatment options and making sure that people can seek the treatment that they need.