Health committee  I would make the premise about people rather than about drugs. If we focus on individuals, on human beings, then we have people who are greatly at risk, are socially isolated, are struggling mentally, are unemployed and, on average, are young people. There are voluntary things that we can do immediately.

Health committee  I am talking about people with addictions as well. The people we're losing are unemployed people who are disproportionately living rough and are socially isolated. As I said earlier, more than half of the young people dying in B.C. were children in care. There is a profound link to social isolation and meaning in life, so there are voluntary interventions such as recovery-oriented housing.

Health committee  I'll add one. It's a growing reading list. It's the U.K. commitment to a recovery-oriented system of care. A recovery-oriented system of care is the most frequently used framework that governments around the world are using in order to fully integrate all government activities toward a common goal of preventing addictions, as well as actually other mental illnesses, by intervening early and promoting recovery.

Health committee  I'm a clinical psychologist. I don't have a medical degree.

Health committee  No, fortunately.

Health committee  I'm reporting facts that have been publicly reported. I'm reporting facts.

Health committee  No. I think that would be a very ill-advised step.

Health committee  Not at all. The familiar refrain, which has some truth to it, is that addictions are problems of loss of connection. Therefore it is bewildering to put a vending machine between the government and a person who is suffering, rather than an opportunity to interact with a human who can accompany them on some constructive steps along the healing path.

Health committee  Canada has a major tradition of following deinstitutionalization, along with many other places. It's a tradition predicated on closing large institutions on a commitment to institute community-based, recovery-oriented services. This is a decades-old refrain we were reminded of when Senator Kirby crossed the country and summarized his findings in “Out of the Shadows at Last”.

Health committee  There is a large number of peer-reviewed publications.

Health committee  I will.

Health committee  Honestly, I'm not sure, but you can decide. I was adopted. I grew up with and was exposed to traumatic experiences at an early age and developed mental illness symptoms and addiction symptoms. Those persisted for a number of years, starting around age nine. I left school and was out on my own as an early teen.

Health committee  There are a few that come to mind immediately. One is the safe supply review, which we call “A Public Supply of Addictive Drugs”. I think it's premature to be using the word “safe” in the label. The second is a review we conducted on decriminalization. It will correct some of the misunderstandings that have been stated even here today.

Health committee  That's correct.

Health committee  I would, happily.