Mr. Speaker, there is another medical crisis happening at the same time as the COVID-19 pandemic. It is made far worse by the pandemic in major cities such as Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto, and in small towns and indigenous communities. I am talking about the opioid crisis.
In my riding, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, I have cried with parents and grandparents who have lost a beloved child. More than 16,000 people have died since 2016. In British Columbia, deaths due to overdoses are five times greater than deaths caused by COVID-19 this year.
What young and not-so-young drug users need is more than just a safe place to get help or access to clean drugs. What they need is hope, deliverance and a future. Here, in the nation's capital, Friday is Recovery Day Ottawa. We absolutely must make significant investments in healing and treatment.
Last week, I toured Hope for Freedom Society and Hannah House, which are recovery centres in Maple Ridge. I was deeply moved when I heard about men and women sharing their stories of deliverance, hope and freedom. There are not enough of these centres. They are private and lack funding.
When will the Liberals work with the provinces to help addicts obtain treatment?
When will we see real action to resolve these problems?
I am not talking about just some nice words buried in this throne speech.