Mr. Chair, the member gave me many options with that question.
When the Prime Minister sends a $50 million tweet, and nobody is discounting the good or worthiness of that cause, or if $600 million can be spent to purchase the media just before an election, or $400 million for Statistics Canada to harvest private data, or $800 million toward legalizing cannabis and then $250 million to be pledged, although only $50 million has really gone out the door, we need to do more.
I have said this before in the debate with respect to mental health. If I had a broken arm and walked into a hospital, I would get help right away. I think our hon. colleague said something very similar. If I walked in and said that I was just not feeling right, or may want to hurt myself, or I thought I had PTSD, it would be very similar. However, if someone is addicted to something, that person is told “We'll get to you when we get to you and just to take a number.” The next number served type of attitude just does not work, because we are losing people left, right and centre. People are slipping through the cracks.
I did not bring this up earlier, but I had an uncle who battled addiction for a long period of time. I feel strongly about this. My uncle was in a horrific car accident in the eighties. He went to a clinic in Vancouver, called G.F. Strong, with a head injury.
The dealers and drug pushers know that people are coming out of this with limited cognitive abilities and are taking advantage of them. At every step of the way people are told to wait. They do not have an opportunity for instant access.
I would agree with our hon. colleague across the way that we must do everything in our power to ensure those beds are available and the care that is needed is received on a timely basis.