SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 200

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 18, 2023 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 200 - May/18/23
Mr. Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, BQ)
  • May/18/23 10:26:23 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader of the official opposition for his contribution to the debate. However, I think things have gone a little too far. I am hearing terms that smack of demagoguery, unfortunately. The very wording of this motion signals a very aggressive, very warlike approach. Maybe we could look at how other places address this issue and see what is working. The United States is one country known for adopting a warlike, combative approach instead of treating this like a social and public health problem. What has the outcome been there? Opioid deaths rose from about 50,000 in 2015 to nearly 100,000 in 2021. Why not take a social and public health approach to the issue instead of such an aggressive one?
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Context: House Hansard - 200 - May/18/23
Mr. Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay (Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, BQ)
  • May/18/23 12:10:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think one thing is clear in all of this debate. The debate must, of course, appeal to our emotions, because we are talking about human beings who are in this situation and who are living with this reality. However, at the same time, the debate must also appeal to reason. We need to look at statistics and data and what works and what does not. We need to have this debate, but we need to do so in an intelligent manner. That is why I did not like it when my colleague asked a question earlier and was told “shame on this member” in response. We are here to debate. There is a solution on the table. Just because a member says that they do not agree and that they do not think that the solution will work does not mean that the member is complicit in and fuelling the opioid crisis. In my question to the Leader of the Opposition earlier, I spoke about the American model. At the other end of the spectrum, we have Portugal's model. My colleague mentioned it briefly. Just before coming here, I was reading an excellent academic paper on this subject. It indicated that 20 years after decriminalization, the rate of illegal drug use remains below the EU average and that, although the prevalence of problematic opioid use remains high and persistent, there has been a significant drop in the number of overdose deaths. There has also been a drop in the transmission of viruses, such as HIV and hepatitis. Access to care has improved, as has the availability of risk reduction interventions. Pressure on the court and prison systems was immediately reduced, and legal representation and practices have changed. I think we can learn from that.
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