Madam Chair, I am pleased to participate in this evening's debate. My colleague is right. We are currently in the midst of a terrible crisis.
However, I do not agree with her that it is a federal responsibility. The opioid crisis is a mental health issue. Mental health to me means health, and health is a provincial jurisdiction.
Every day, young people, people on the streets of Longueuil, would like to see psychologists, but they cannot because psychologists are underfunded and there are none.
Does my colleague agree that health transfers should be increased? That would make it possible to increase mental health services for those who want them, to provide better working conditions for nurses, to foster hiring, and to provide support for people struggling with addiction. Health transfers must be increased. That is an inescapable fact. Ottawa has the money, and health is a provincial jurisdiction. The federal government must transfer the money.