Health committee  I'll start, and then colleagues might have things to add. The reality is that when it comes to all substance use, it is very difficult to determine the how and why people are using various substances in Canada. We can say that you are right that in fact there has been an increase.

Health committee  In the collaborative spirit of the way we do all our work around controlled substances in Canada, I'll be giving remarks on behalf of my colleagues, but we're all happy to answer questions, obviously. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. My name is Suzy McDonald. I am the assistant deputy minister for the opioid response team at Health Canada, but I'm also responsible for the regulation of controlled substances in Canada and the federal government's approach to drug and alcohol use under the Canadian drugs and substances strategy.