Madam Speaker, April 24 marked the first anniversary of the tragic death of Ryan Hedican, son of John and Jennifer Hedican, my constituents in Courtenay—Alberni.
Ryan was one of over 4,000 Canadians who lost their life to opioid overdose in 2017, and this crisis continues. Every day this year in B.C. alone four people will die due to fentanyl poisoning.
Ryan's addiction to opioids destroyed his life and affected everything and everyone he loved. No one wants to live like that. Addiction is not a choice; it is a disease.
The opioid crisis is a crisis of social isolation and bad drug policy. We must treat addiction as a health issue, not a criminal one. We must work to remove the stigma around substance abuse and addiction, so people can openly seek treatment without judgment or shame. We must continue to expand access to harm reduction services and treatment so people can get the help they need when they need it.
We can honour Ryan's memory by working toward a Canada where help is immediately available and addiction is treated with humanity.