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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 200

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 18, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 200 - May/18/23
Mr. Yves Perron (Berthier—Maskinongé, BQ)
  • May/18/23 10:42:39 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' approach seems very dogmatic to me. Is my colleague aware that this is more about a public health problem than it is about crime? We are talking about people who are struggling with severe addictions. I do not want to judge anyone. It is difficult to judge what these people are experiencing from the outside. We would need to have talked to people who once struggled with alcoholism, for example, who struggled with severe addictions to perhaps begin to see how harmful that can be for a person and how it can impair their judgment. Basically, the approach we need to take is to support people as they try to overcome their addictions. If we are no longer doing that, then how does my colleague think that we can show compassion and try to help these people out of the dark place they are in?
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Context: House Hansard - 200 - May/18/23
Mr. Yves Perron (Berthier—Maskinongé, BQ)
  • May/18/23 11:12:40 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we in the Bloc Québécois view the opioid crisis as a public health issue, and we believe in a supportive approach. Yes, there are times when these individuals must be allowed to transition to a safe place with what we call a safe supply. There is no harm in that. My concern is that the terms used in the motion are judgmental. I am also concerned about the fact that when I very calmly and politely asked my Conservative colleague a question and challenged the Conservative stance, he responded by saying, “Shame on this member”. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to ask the Liberal member a question. At least I can probably count on an answer other than, “Shame on you”. How can we reach a balance? When it comes right down to it, the Conservatives' intentions are not all bad. That is not what I mean. They want to offer more services and to offer therapy. A balance between the two remains to be found. I would like the member to share her thoughts with us. How can we balance support for drug use in public spaces against the urgent need to help these individuals break free from this vicious cycle? Ultimately, we all share the same goal.
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