Health committee  That is one of the things we need to pay a lot of attention to. What is it that gives young people the strength to understand what's out there, go against peer pressure and—

Health committee  Of course we have. With the programs we have that are prescribed.... “Safer supply” means people have a prescription. They have a relationship with the prescriber to access medications. We know there are people who share medications and people who keep their drugs [Inaudible—Editor] for different times.

Health committee  In some cases, it is. It's a symptom of unmet needs for people who can't access.

Health committee  I think it is a better alternative than the street drugs people are required to access to maintain their addictions. That's the challenge. The challenge is that we have unmet needs. People cannot get access.

Health committee  You know, I think you're trying to make this scenario into something it is not. That's not what we're dealing with. What we're dealing with is people who are not able to access programs.

Health committee  We need to be better at providing people with the medications they need to get them on that road we all want them to be on: recovery.

Health committee  I don't have an answer to that question.

Health committee  Absolutely. If that child needs it, they should have access to supports from somebody who is trained to understand their needs and is able to support them.

Health committee  I think they need to have a relationship with a provider who supports them for their needs at that moment—absolutely.

Health committee  I'm sorry. I couldn't hear that question. It was cut off.

Health committee  I think it depends on the situation the person is in. We absolutely want all children to have the supports and connections they need.

Health committee  Just to clarify, I don't have any comments around what government is in power around these issues. What I've seen is that it is very much dependent on what is on the street. That is what is leading to deaths. In British Columbia, we have tried to take an approach that is nuanced and that looks at all of the various aspects that we need to have in place to support people and to keep them alive, whether they are somebody who has a substance use disorder or whether it's somebody who is using drugs on an occasional basis.

Health committee  I do believe that the issue of people who use drugs is cloaked in stigma and shame. That keeps people from talking about this. We know from data that everybody in our communities across this country has been affected by this crisis in many ways. It is something on which I think we need to have a coordinated approach across the country.

Health committee  I think diversion, as I've said many times, is a symptom of unmet needs. In the case of the unmet needs that we are seeing, it is very concerning to me. It means that we need to take different approaches. I also want to recognize that diversion is not new. We've seen that in many parts of this country.

Health committee  I don't think we're having more drugs on the street. What we're seeing is the toxicity of the drugs on the street. That has been driving this crisis.