Madam Speaker, I rise today to respond to my colleague's deeply moving remarks about Bill C-231, the friends of David act. First, I commend him for having the courage to share such a personal story in the House. My colleague's words remind us that behind the statistics are families, communities and broken dreams. The story of the member's son David is not only heartbreaking, it is a call to action.
This bill seeks to amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act so that judges and law enforcement can send youths struggling with addiction to treatment programs rather than strictly imposing punitive measures. The aim is not to excuse crimes, but to recognize that addiction is a health issue and that early intervention is needed to turn lives around before it is too late.
In British Columbia, we are living through a public health emergency that shows no sign of slowing down. Since the province declared the overdose crisis in 2016, more than 14,000 British Columbians have died from toxic, unregulated drugs. This year alone, B.C. is on track to surpass 2,000 deaths, the highest ever recorded. That means that six people die every day in one province. That's six lives, six families shattered.
These are not just adults. Youth are increasingly at risk. According to the BC Coroners Service, about 10% of overdose deaths involve individuals under 29, and many start using substances in their early teens. The Canadian Student Alcohol and Drugs Survey shows that the average age of first cannabis use is 14, and nearly half of students say cannabis is easy to obtain. For some, that first puff is not harmless. It can be the first step toward dependency and, tragically, toward fentanyl-laced substances.
When the member from Mégantic—L'Érable—Lotbinière speaks of David's friends, he is not referring to a small circle of acquaintances. He is speaking about thousands of young Canadians, boys and girls who are walking the same dangerous path. These are teenagers who turn to substances, not out of rebellion but out of pain. For them, drugs become the doctor they never met, the therapy they never accessed and the solution society failed to provide. David's friends are not criminals at heart. They are patients who do not know they are sick, yet under the current system, if they refuse help and deny their problem, we often abandon them to their fate.
Bill C-231 changes that. It gives judges and police the ability to open a door instead of closing one, to offer treatment instead of punishment. Every time we fail to act, another David is lost, another family grieves, and another group of friends wonder what they could have done. Supporting the bill, and I am so encouraged by the remarks so far this morning, means telling David's friends across Canada that we see them, that we care and that we will fight for their future.
Bill C-231 offers a practical solution. It does not reinvent the wheel. It simply extends to youth what already exists for adults, the ability to defer sentencing while a person completes an addiction treatment program. This approach saves lives. It gives young people a chance to heal before they become entrenched in criminal activity or fall victim to the toxic drug supply.
Let us be clear. Addiction is not a complete moral failure. It is a health issue, and when a young person is arrested for a drug-related offence, that moment can be a turning point, a chance to intervene, to connect them with care and to prevent another obituary.
As a society, we have a moral imperative to do more than speak words of compassion. We must turn those words into action. It is not enough to express concern while young lives are lost. We must offer real solutions, and I really do truly believe that we are doing that today.
We must develop those programs that match the urgency of our rhetoric, programs that meet young people where they are and give them a path forward. Bill C-231 is not the final answer, but it is a step in the right direction, a step toward a justice system that heals instead of harms and that recognizes addiction as an illness rather than a crime.
By passing the bill, we will affirm that Canada will not abandon youth in despair. In fact, we will improve our laws for youth. We can affirm that prevention and treatment are not luxuries but a necessity in our public health system. Every day we delay, another family grieves and another David is lost. Another group of friends wonder what they could have done. Supporting the bill means telling David's friends across Canada that we see them, that we care, and that we will make a level step forward to improve the system in our country.
For David, his friends and the thousands of young Canadians whose lives are at risk, let us make this change. Every day we delay is a day that more families will experience the pain that the member for Mégantic—L'Érable—Lotbinière experienced and so courageously shared with us today.