Mr. Speaker, the opioid nightmare is devastating small and medium-sized towns, which simply do not have the resources to address the overwhelming nature of the crisis. People are dying from poisoned drugs, a lack of treatment opportunities, a housing crisis and predatory gangs that are making our neighbourhoods unsafe.
The city of Timmins recently held the first-ever municipal summit on addressing the opioid crisis. The message is clear: Municipalities cannot do this on their own. The federal government needs to be at the table with increased mental health supports, a credible housing strategy that smaller communities can take advantage of, funding for treatment and recovery, and empowering police with a credible gang strategy to shut down the violence. In Timmins, the Fire Keepers, indigenous teams working the streets to keep people safe and alive, could be a national model.
What we do not need are Conservative MPs pouring gasoline on the crisis, which has led to serious death threats against doctors and nurses who are keeping people safe and alive. In the end, our job is keeping people safe on our streets and keeping our loved ones alive.