- Member of Parliament
- Prime Minister
Leader of the Liberal Party
- Liberal
- Papineau
- Quebec
- Voting Attendance: 55%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $79,187.97
- Government Page
- May/29/24 2:57:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what the Conservative leader is proposing is a throwback to the failed drug policies of the Harper years, which one of that government's top advisors even acknowledged was an appalling failure.
We will continue to be there to keep everyone safe, including children in child care, while using an approach rooted in compassion and public health that keeps people safe.
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- May/22/24 3:08:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the fact is we will continue to be there responsibly with a science-based, evidence-based approach that works with jurisdictions on the tools they need to counter the growing opioid and toxic drug epidemic.
I understand the ideological desire by Conservatives to simply look at every problem as if it is a nail because all they have is a hammer. We are going to continue to be there to invest in community supports. We are going to be there to continue to work with jurisdictions that want to help people struggling with addictions. We will continue to be there, grounded in science and evidence.
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- May/8/24 3:12:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are facing, right across the country, a toxic drug and opioid epidemic that is taking lives left, right and centre, that is hurting communities and that is hurting family members who are losing loved ones at an alarming rate, and that is something we need to respond to.
We have continued to work, jurisdiction by jurisdiction, in thoughtful ways to try to do everything possible to keep communities safe, to keep families from suffering these further losses and to support people who are struggling with addiction. We will continue to be grounded in evidence and support.
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- May/8/24 3:03:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, earlier, the Leader of the Opposition was suggesting that I do my homework. One would think that on an issue that the Leader of the Opposition is making so much fundraising money off of, he would have actually done his work and would have realized there is a difference between legalization and decriminalization. That is one that really matters.
We, yes, responded to a request for a pilot project by British Columbia to continue to try new approaches in solving this toxic drug overdose epidemic. We will continue to work with British Columbia, as we have, as they choose to make adjustments to their pilot project because we know saving lives and keeping communities safe is the most important thing.
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- May/8/24 3:01:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is shameful to hear the Leader of the Opposition misleading the House and misleading Canadians for his own fundraising political gain. There is nobody in this country talking about legalizing hard drugs, with the possible exception of members of the Conservative Party themselves.
The government's approach is focused on a public health approach grounded in science, compassion and community safety. We are talking about wraparound services like housing, mental health treatment and harm reduction that are helping people around the country, and we will continue to work with provinces and jurisdictions in their approach.
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- May/8/24 3:00:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is shameful that the Leader of the Opposition uses tragedies to exploit people's fears and fundraise for the Conservatives.
The reality is that he has his facts wrong. No one in this country, apart from the Conservative leader, is talking about legalizing hard drugs. We are focused on science, compassion and a public health approach. That is what people need: housing, services and help.
We are making that happen.
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- May/7/24 2:21:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we believe in working with British Columbia and with any province that wants us to work with them on this, which is why we accepted its request to modify its pilot project on exactly those issues. This is something we will continue to do, to work in a basis of science, around compassion and a medical approach, a health approach, not a criminal justice approach to deal with the toxic drug supply and addictions.
At the same time, we will not be taking lessons from the Conservatives, who continue to chase after a Harper-era policy that their own adviser said was obsolete—
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- Feb/28/24 2:32:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, across the country, including in Quebec, people are dealing with inadequate prescription drug coverage. That is why we are there to work hand in hand with the provinces and ensure that people can pay for their drugs from coast to coast to coast.
We are always there to work constructively with the provinces to ensure that there is support and coverage for all Canadians.
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- Feb/14/24 3:14:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the impact of the toxic drug and overdose crisis on our communities is absolutely devastating. We are using every tool at our disposal to work with partners to end this national public health crisis. Unlike the opposition, we are following an evidence-based approach while working in partnership with stakeholders, experts and people with lived and living experience.
We take the safety of all Canadians seriously, which is why, from the beginning, we have approached this from both the public health and public safety perspectives, hand in hand with the B.C. government in this case.
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- May/10/23 3:04:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it feels like it is déjà vu all over again.
We spent years in opposition fighting against the Stephen Harper ideological approach that stood against harm reduction, that allowed people to die in the streets and that criminalized drug users.
That failed. Canadians chose a different path in 2017, one grounded in evidence, science, compassion and a health approach to treating addictions, not a justice-system approach to treating victims.
We will not take any lessons from that ideologically driven, fact-free Conservative Party of Canada.
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- May/10/23 2:59:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the toxic drug and overdose crisis continues to take a tragic toll on families, loved ones and communities.
We are using every tool at our disposal to work with our partners to end this national public health crisis. Since 2017, we have committed more than $1 billion to address the overdose crisis, and we are taking concrete steps to divert people who use drugs away from the criminal justice system.
The evidence is clear that harm reduction measures save lives. Some 46,000 overdoses have been reversed since 2017. We will continue to trust the science.
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- May/10/23 2:36:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the years, we have taken concrete steps to lower the cost of medication, and we will continue to do so, especially by developing a national strategy for drugs for rare diseases and progressing toward a universal national pharmacare program. This includes tabling legislation and working to ensure that it gets passed by the end of this year.
We will continue to work to build a better health care system for all Canadians.
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- May/31/22 2:36:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes that problematic substance use is a public health issue. We are working with partners to advance a multi-faceted health-based strategy to end the overdose and toxic drug supply crisis. That is why we have approved the B.C. proposal to decriminalize personal possession of small amounts of certain illegal drugs within the province.
There is, of course, more to do, and we are taking action with a range of provinces and territories as well as other partners to end this ongoing tragedy. We know that we need to move forward on proper supports and that is what we are doing with B.C. We look forward to talking with other provinces about that as well.
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- May/31/22 2:35:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the opioid crisis has severely affected the families and communities of those we have lost to overdoses.
Our approach follows other steps we have taken previously to address the opioid crisis, including investments of more than $800 million in community-led harm reduction, treatment and prevention initiatives. We also just approved British Columbia's request to decriminalize the personal possession of small amounts of certain illicit drugs in the province.
We will continue to work with all provinces and jurisdictions to save lives and end this crisis.
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Mr. Speaker, we have long recognized the importance of tackling the opioid epidemic with all the tools that science and experts are recommending. A significant number of the investments we have made have been in safe supply, but we know there is always much more to do.
That is why we continue to work to divert people who use drugs away from the criminal justice system and toward supportive and trusted relationships. Our multi-faceted approach builds on previous actions to address the opioid overdose crisis, including investments of over $700 million in community-led harm-reduction treatment and prevention projects. We will continue to do everything we can to protect Canadians from this national crisis.
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