Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise virtually today in the House to present a petition on behalf of residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands. It is petition 130-25233.
The petitioners wish to draw the awareness of the House to the public health emergency that is the opioid crisis, and otherwise referred to as an “overdose crisis.” The British Columbia public health officer has already recognized that this is a public health emergency, as have many municipalities across Canada.
The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to recognize this is a national public health emergency, to reframe what sometimes is called an overdose crisis as a health issue and not one involving criminal law and criminal sanctions, and to do whatever is possible, through a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach, to provide life-saving help and policies that support people dealing with mental health and addictions. It is a crisis.
On behalf of these petitioners, I submit this petition to our government and look forward to its response.