Safe consumption at forefront of countering the overdose crisis, prime minister says
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Columbia Premier David Eby shook hands, pledged to work together then posed for the media on Friday, two weeks after Eby was sworn in as premier.
Trudeau said it was a “real pleasure” to meet with the premier. The two men spoke privately before the media was allowed to take photos.
“It's a great opportunity for us to really dig into the many things you've hit the ground running on,” Trudeau said of their meeting.
He said they spoke about several things, including the housing shortage, child care, climate change, public safety, mental health, addictions and the overdose crisis.
Eby said he was glad to hear Trudeau talk about issues related to public safety and building a cleaner economy.
”I'm excited to work with you and get to work on those priorities (in which) we share responsibility and I think it'll be a great day,“ he said.
Their meeting came just a few days after B.C.'s coroner released the overdose death toll for October of 179 people, saying the illicit drug supply has created an environment where everyone who uses substances is at risk.
Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe urged the government to ensure access to a safer supply of drugs was available across the province.
Trudeau told a crowd in Richmond, B.C., where he and Eby spoke about investments in child care, that they are working with provincial governments to ensure science and data are used to counter the epidemic.
“We were happy to move forward with B.C. in landmark steps on drug supply just a number of months ago, but we know there's much more to do. We'll continue to work hand-in-hand with the province to ensure people are kept safe,” he said.
The coroner said more than 1,800 people died of illicit drug overdoses in the first 10 months of this year, while almost 10,700 have died since the province declared a health emergency in April 2016.
Trudeau called the Opposition Conservative leader's recent video “incredibly ignorant,” referring to Pierre Poilievre's claim that a safe supply of drugs for addicts is a failed experiment.
Poilievre used a homeless camp in Vancouver's Crab Park as a backdrop in a video posted to social media to say that B.C. was on track to have over 2,000 drug overdose deaths for this year.
“This is deliberate policy by 'woke' Liberal and NDP governments to provide taxpayer-funded drugs, flood our streets to easy access to these poisons,” he said.
Poilievre said the experiment has been tried in other countries with the same results: major increases in overdoses.
Eby said during questions from reporters that the province has an important partnership with the federal government in trying to separate people from those who are selling toxic drugs.
“We have a lot of work to do in our health-care system, which was key in our conversations, and mental health and addiction response is part of our health-care system,” Eby said of his earlier meeting with Trudeau.
“I've already talked with too many parents who have lost kids, too many families who have been hurt by the overdose crisis.”
The premier said a new model of care that he announced days after he was sworn in will allow someone recovering from an overdose to go immediately from the emergency room to detox and on to treatment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.