Pierre Poilievre weighs in on BC NDP plan to recriminalize public drug use

B.C.’s plan to reverse course on a major part of its decriminalization plan has triggered swift and sweeping reaction.

Last Friday, Premier David Eby announced the NDP requested that Ottawa recriminalize public use of hard drugs, giving police powers to seize drugs or arrest those threatening public safety.

It was a response to increasing concerns about illicit drug use in public, including in hospitals, which triggered escalating political pressure and a heated debate that continued to play out on the floor of the B.C. Legislature on Monday.

“Will the premier scrap this entire decriminalization mess today? And if not, why not?” demanded BC United leader Kevin Falcon during question period.

Meanwhile, in Ottawa, Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the proposed plan doesn’t go far enough and pushed for an emergency debate on the issue of decriminalization in Parliament.

“Even nurses are having to give up on breastfeeding because they’re worried their kids will be contaminated with drugs they breathe in. What the hell they thinking over there?” said Poilievre.

Eby responded Monday to Poilievre’s comments.

“To the extent that we can avoid politicizing this health crisis, the better off we're going to be. We're all looking for solutions to keep people alive,” he said.

Eby did acknowledge other jurisdictions, like Toronto, that are considering decriminalization could learn from B.C.'s stumbles, and should consider the importance of balancing public concern about public drug use with managing addiction as a health issue.

“Balancing those two things is core and I hope other jurisdictions take our lessons and don’t repeat our mistakes,” he said.

For harm reduction advocates, like Moms Stop the Harm’s Leslie McBain, the province's push to eliminate public drug use is a major step back that will cost lives.

“They will be hiding out and more deaths will happen. It's quite distressing for a lot of reasons,” she said.

The province says it expects to hear back from Ottawa about recriminalizing public drug use soon.

More than 14,000 people have died since B.C. declared a public health emergency over the toxic drug supply in 2016.