OTTAWA – Over 20,000 Canadians have died of overdoses in the last five years and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid overdose epidemic has gotten even worse. Yesterday, the NDP’s critic for mental health and addictions, Gord Johns, introduced a private member’s bill to tackle this emergency by decriminalizing personal possession and taking a health-based approach to substance use.
“While Canadians have been living through the COVID-19 pandemic, another pandemic has also been impacting our communities. Despite what they say, the Liberals have continuously ignored calls from health experts, police chiefs and big Canadian cities to treat the opioid crisis like a health crisis,” said Johns. “The bill I put forward will make sure those suffering with substance abuse issues are not treated like criminals. It will make it easier for people to get the help they need without the stigma and unsafe supply those struggling with addiction have always faced.”