Hon. Vernon White: Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. A few months ago, I stood in the chamber to make a statement on the opioid crisis and then I had the opportunity to ask a question of the government relating to a plan to take necessary steps to save lives.

Prior to the pandemic, we were averaging just over 10 deaths per 100,000 people in Canada. During 2020, it reached 16 people per 100,000, directly related to synthetic opioids. The reality today is that we are seeing approximately 20 deaths every day. Government reporting advises 90% of the deaths are from non-pharmaceutical, counterfeit synthetic opioids.

The real facts; locally, one specific supervised consumption site in downtown Ottawa has an average of four overdoses per day inside the site and are seeing five and a half daily overdoses in the community. For context, pre-pandemic, they saw one daily on average.

In the safe supply program they are piloting, they have had no overdosing of the safe supply-only users after more than a year. My question is: When will the government finally see the need for safe supply, alternative drug therapy and bring forward a plan to grow a program that is saving lives?

Senator White: I appreciate the response, Senator Gold, but the reality is we’re seeing places like Cape Breton Island, Halifax, some rural communities — and not just major cities — that are being hit hard by overdose deaths. During the pandemic, instead of fentanyl being the number one overdose drug used, it is actually carfentanil which is 100 times more potent.

I would challenge that the government, although expressing concern about an issue, has not actually taken steps to alleviate some of the challenges we are seeing and actually increase the safe supply programs that we are seeing in cities like Ottawa and Vancouver which have proven to save lives every single day.

I would appreciate if perhaps something more formal would come from the government through your office to identify to us the potential program or planning that they are moving forward with. Thank you.