Ottawa, ON – Yesterday, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre pledged to turn hurt into hope for the most vulnerable by funding treatment for 50,000 Canadians in treatment centres with a proven record of success getting people off drugs. While expanding drug recovery, he will also stop federal funding for opioids, defund federal drug dens and keep any remaining sites at least 500 meters away from schools, daycares, playgrounds, parks and seniors’ homes with strict new oversight rules.
Since then, his plan to focus on pathways to treatment and turn hurt into hope has received immense support, including:
“This is a positive albeit obvious step that needs to be taken now and should not be seen through partisan or controversial lenses. We also have to think about how we get people into these beds in the first place since there’s often very little incentive to enter treatment.”
“Canadians urgently need a government that affirms our ability to prevent and overcome addictions.”
Julian M. Somers, Distinguished Professor of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University
“This is huge. After 10 years of the Liberal’s harm production policies, we have an opportunity to elect a federal government that is focused on treatment and recovery.”
Dan Williams, Alberta Minster of Mental Health and Addiction
“Good policy. Key is to ensure those investments are made in evidence-based treatment programs with proven track records, but Canada does have a shortage of accessible rehabilitation spaces, and this will help.”
Michael Gendron, Canadian Police Association
“A positive, constructive, common sense policy well explained”
