Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Bill C‑231, a bill for David's friends. This bill, introduced by my colleague and friend, the member for Mégantic—L'Érable—Lotbinière, in honour of his son David, seeks to amend the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
David left us too soon. He was way too young. I want to take this opportunity to thank my colleague and his lovely wife Caro for courageously taking the initiative to share their story and that of their beloved son. Passing this bill could help many young Canadians who are struggling with addictions.
In my previous role as shadow minister for addictions, I saw first-hand the chaos and destruction that addiction can cause in the lives of those struggling with the disease, as well as in the lives of their families and communities. I met individuals whose lives had been profoundly disrupted by substance use, where stable employment, housing and relationships had completely eroded over time. I also heard from parents, partners and children who were left to cope with uncertainty, fear and repeated cycles of crisis, relapse, overdose and recovery attempts. These experiences underscored how addiction is not an isolated issue but one that affects the entire family system and places significant strain on frontline services such as health care, law enforcement and social services.
Today I am going to share a story that is very personal. I want to profoundly thank my brother for allowing me to tell a part of his story. My brother Brent started using drugs at 14, while he was in high school, shortly after our mom's death from cancer. What started as teenagers being teenagers very quickly changed. He quickly fell into addiction, using drugs to get through classes and just to get by. He was in the world of addiction and active drug use for over a decade, a decade where he struggled to feel normal, a decade stuck. The only way he felt normal was when he was using drugs, through high school and just barely surviving. Through his decade of active drug use, he had many run-ins with the law. As a family, there was so much stress and so many sleepless nights wondering where he was, how he was doing and if he would ever find a path to recovery.
I told him about the bill and asked him about his thoughts. He liked it. He thought it would be a good idea and that it very well might have helped him when he first started on his path of addiction. He shared with me that he often wonders what his life would have looked like had he been offered treatment after his first run-in with the law as a minor, how much further ahead he would be had he not lost that decade stuck in addiction, had he been able to get the help he needed sooner.
After many years of struggle, he accepted that he had a problem, and he started his journey toward recovery. It was not a straight line, and it took so much work, but he put in the work. I am so incredibly proud to share that my baby brother is now in recovery from addiction and that he is over a year sober today. He is doing so well. He is in his first year of trade school as a plumber-steamfitter. He is literally and figuratively helping build Canada and build what we need, and showing that recovery is possible every single day.
These experiences have reinforced the importance of a compassionate, evidence-based response that prioritizes immediate safety and also long-term pathways to recovery, recognizing that addiction is a complex health condition. Early intervention in youth addiction is critical because it can significantly improve long-term outcomes by preventing experimentation from developing into entrenched substance use.
When we look at Bill C-231, that idea really sits at the centre of what meaningful reform should achieve, helping young people earlier. Why not? Most youth who come into contact with the justice system are not simply offenders. That was not the case for my brother. He was struggling with addiction, trauma and mental health challenges, and he needed someone to see him. He needed our justice system to offer him the support he needed, and that would have been addiction treatment. If the only response is punitive, we risk missing the chance to actually change the trajectory of their lives.
Adolescence is a window where intervention can genuinely work, where relationships, supports and treatment can redirect a young person before more patterns set in. Strengthening the Youth Criminal Justice Act in this way would reflect a more realistic and humane understanding of what kids need: timely support, accountability paired with rehabilitation, and coordinated services that address the root cause. Done properly, early intervention gives young people a real shot at stability, recovery and a future that looks very different from the path they were on.
This is one example where Alberta provides a powerful example through our PChAD, protection of children abusing drugs, program. Under PChAD, families in Alberta have a legal option where young people in severe substance use can get involuntary treatment. Families can apply to the court for help, and, importantly, the system responds in a way that is focused on stabilization and recovery, not punishment.
When a judge issues a PChAD order, the young person can be placed in a structured, supervised setting where immediate safety is addressed. Withdrawal can be managed, if necessary, and a clear pathway into treatment is created. It also brings families into the process in a meaningful way, rather than leaving them isolated and overwhelmed while trying to manage a crisis at home.
The practical outcomes are significant and very real. It means that a parent is not left alone, wondering whether their child will survive another night out in crisis. It also means that police are not repeatedly acting as the default responders to what is fundamentally a health issue. It means that emergency departments are not becoming the only safety net available. It means that young people are given a real opportunity to pause, to stabilize and to engage with treatment before their situation becomes worse.
PChAD is not perfect. No program is. However, it reflects an important principle: When addiction is present in a young person's life, early structured interventions can change outcomes. I have met some of the children who went through this program, and it changed their life. Recovery is in fact possible.
I am encouraging all my colleagues to consider supporting the bill and giving kids across Canada some of the support that is available if they happen to be lucky enough to be from Alberta. The same principle is what is here in Bill C-231. It is trying to bring more consistency into the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The bill asks us to recognize something simple, which is that for many young people, addiction is not separate from their contact with the justice system. It is often at the centre of it.
If we treat each court appearance as an isolated event, we miss the pattern and we miss the chance to intervene. The legislation is about connecting these dots. It would ensure that when the justice system sees a pattern, it could respond, and with more than repetition. It could respond with treatment, structure and a path towards recovery.
Members of the House all come with different perspectives, but we share one basic responsibility. We are here to make decisions that affect real people, especially young people who are struggling and still have a chance to turn their life around. Every single person has a chance to turn their life around, but why are we not affording this to the youth in our country? The bill is not asking us to choose between accountability and compassion. It is asking us to finally align them in a way that reflects reality.
Young people need both structure and support. Families need options, not hopelessness. Our justice system needs tools to match the complexity of what it is seeing. That is what Bill C-231 offers: a practical step towards a system that intervenes earlier, connects better and gives young people a real chance at direction.
One thing I will share is that recovery takes a lot of work. People who choose recovery are some of the bravest people I have ever had the chance to encounter. This is not them taking the easy way out; this is them doing the hardest work possible. What the bill from my colleague, the member for Mégantic—L'Érable—Lotbinière, is proposing is simply allowing these kids to put in the hard work and get their life back on track.
I am going to close by saying this. If there is still time to help a young person turn their life around, we have the responsibility to try. Why would we not, for David, for the friends of David and for every family still hoping for a different outcome?
For David, for all of David's friends and for all the families across Canada hoping for a different outcome, we should pass this bill.