Health committee  Well, you asked. I'm answering.

Health committee  They used the AMSTAR rating system, which is a rating system for systematic reviews. I've published systematic reviews on substance use and mental illness over the years. It's important they be standardized. Rapid reviews are not systematic reviews. What you're pointing out is that 50 people signed on, in an emotional reaction, to a critique of a rapid review using an entirely inappropriate tool, which is basically—

Health committee  It's imbalanced. The broad programs internationally that have shown the greatest success in dramatically reducing high-risk addiction have put the goal before themselves of ensuring social reintegration. That theme was also once active in North America. In fact, that is the format in which methadone was introduced as a practice.

Health committee  The answer is that it will make things worse.

Health committee  I've observed that they turned attention from HIV/AIDS to addiction as a group. They appear to have preserved the same focus on pharmaceutical interventions that made a lot of sense in relation to reducing infectious diseases, but it's not a good fit for addiction. As I said in my remarks, pharmaceuticals play a relatively limited role.

Health committee  Yes, and elsewhere.

Health committee  I wouldn't be the first to say there is the appearance of conflict. I believe there is that.

Health committee  For instance, it would be through the so-called compassion club model, which also harkens back to HIV/AIDS. Essentially groups and networks of people would procure drugs and make them available to others. Those are now across the country. The vending machines that are part of Dr.

Health committee  It was only critical insofar as.... We did this for the Alberta Ministry of Health. We've done systematic reviews, rapid reviews. Rapid reviews are done as they sound, very quickly on a focused question, usually before Parliament or the House. We were given a series of linked questions.

Health committee  Perry served as our inaugural provincial health officer, our head medical health person advising the provincial government.

Health committee  Mark served as Perry's deputy and overlapped in that role with Dr. Bonnie Henry, also serving as deputy provincial health officer.

Health committee  Marty—I'm sorry; before our most recent disagreements, I was on a first-name basis with all these individuals. Marty worked in HIV/AIDS in the centre. They all had very important roles and worked collaboratively in truly groundbreaking HIV/AIDS-related work. Marty, most recently, is the scientific director of the Michael Smith foundation, which is B.C.'

Health committee  Thank you. I am Dr. Julian Somers, a person in long-term recovery, a licensed clinical psychologist and a distinguished full professor at Simon Fraser University. I began my clinical career working at B.C.'s Riverview Hospital in 1987, and was trained in addiction research and clinical practices by Dr.