Mr. Speaker, those words, “while the death toll mounts”, opioid overdoses are now claiming more lives than motor vehicle accidents and homicides combined. The year 2017 was the worst one on record with over 4,000 lives lost, which is 40% more than in 2016. This escalating tragedy is fuelled by a tainted illicit drug supply and the greatest barrier to addressing it is the harm caused by the criminalization of substance use.
How does the government expect to help vulnerable people suffering from addiction when it continues to treat them as criminals?