Debates of May 29th, 2024

Department of Health—Main Estimates, 2024-25

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Before the hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent resumes, I just want to let him know that the time required for interpretation is not deducted from his five minutes.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. Could the minister tell us how many days her government took to respond to the request from the British Columbia government?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it took 10 days.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, does the minister know how many people die on average every day in British Columbia as a result of this crisis?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yes.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, how many people die every day?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is six people.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, her government waited 10 days before saying yes to a completely legitimate and urgent request from the Government of British Columbia. Is the minister aware that at least 60 people died because these people and this government waited 10 days to say yes to British Columbia?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member is misleading Canadians. People die of overdoses because of the illegal toxic drug supply. Decriminalization is simply one tool of many in order to direct people to health services rather than putting them through the justice system. I would think that he would not want to stigmatize or criminalize those who need health care.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 2,546 people have died in British Columbia as a result of the opioid crisis. How many more people would it have taken for the government to act more quickly?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the government has dedicated over a billion dollars to this public health crisis, as opposed to the opposition. When it was in power, it cut two-thirds of the paltry $60 million that it put toward saving lives.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, are Canadians right to worry that the government might apply this pilot project, which has cost the lives of more than 2,500 people, outside British Columbia?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to saving lives with a comprehensive strategy that considers every tool and resource available, working with jurisdictions.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after 2,500 deaths, it seems to me that the government should have realized that the strategy was not working.

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the member does not seem to be familiar with international jurisdictions that have also implemented decriminalization tools.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent, and I am very familiar with the province of Quebec. Quebeckers do not want to experience the same tragedy that is occurring in British Columbia right now.

Will the minister stand up and say that she will never implement the pilot project in Quebec, yes or no?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to working in partnership and collaboration with jurisdictions that wish to address this public health crisis with a robust set of tools, just as we have been committed to using evidence and expertise to save lives.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 2,500 people have lost their lives because of the evidence and expertise behind this pilot project. Six people are dying every day.

What more will it take for the government to put a stop to this pilot project?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Every death is a tragedy, Mr. Speaker, but the people are dying from an illegal toxic drug supply, not decriminalization, which is a tool that has been used in such countries as Germany, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. If time allows, I will continue with the list.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, is the minister familiar with Maison Benoît-Labre in Montreal?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I do not.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I will be directing my questions to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

In Belleville, Ontario, and surrounding Bay of Quinte, is there adequate funding and resources for addictions and essential addiction management?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, health is under the jurisdiction of the province, which was recently awarded over $700 million towards mental health and substance use in our bilateral agreements.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, is the minister aware that Belleville, Ontario, reported 240 overdoses in just 11 weeks and 23 overdoses in a single day?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of that, and, as the member knows, I went to Belleville.