Canada: 2500 killed by drugs in one year in BC-Conservative Party
14000 died due to drugs since 2016
Victoria, October 9, 2024: Conservative Party has claimed that BC is 8 years into a public health emergency, When it was declared in 2016, 474 British Columbians lost their lives to drug overdoses.
In a detailed statement party said that last year, over 2,500 were killed by drugs – mostly the lethal opioid fentanyl. That’s almost 7 deaths per day. While they are the most devastating of victims, the carnage extends further: families are torn apart or driven into financial despair, marriages destroyed, and communities living in fear of crime and violence.
With the lives of so many of British Columbians on the line, BC cannot afford to waste more time with the NDP’s empty promises and failed ideological experiments. 14,000 people have been killed by drugs ruined since the start of the emergency, with no end in sight, and thousands of more lives ruined.
Party said that the current government has had 7 years to address this crisis – and it’s become catastrophically worse. The so-called ‘solutions’ of reckless experiments like decriminalization and ‘safe supply’ have done nothing to stop tragic record deaths, while creating turmoil in our communities.
The Conservative Party of BC refuses to stand by as more lives are lost. With our BC Recovers Plan, we are committed to doing what the Eby NDP has failed to do: end the overdose and addictions crisis, save lives, and help people get their lives back on track The time for real action is now.
Party said that it knew that prevention and recovery are possible and will build a system around this truth, unlike the Eby NDP’s chaotic and permissive approach which prioritizes short-term fixes over meaningful recovery.
An estimated 225,000 people in BC use unregulated drugs; of those, 100,000 have an opioid disorder. In addition to the lives lost, these are also critical numbers that must be driven-down to get lives back on track.
The Conservative Party of BC envisions a province where those facing addiction challenges are supported in their recovery. We believe in integrated and accessible systems of care that empower people to reclaim their lives, health, and dignity from the plague of addiction.
According to party the best way to stop drug deaths is to stop drug addiction from ever taking root. The Conservative Party of BC will never normalize drug addiction as a lifestyle choice: it is a cancer that destroys people, rips families apart and leads to deteriorating communities.
The NDP and their activist allies want to give up on stopping people from falling into the pits of addiction. The Conservative Party of BC will:
Appoint an Addictions Specialist with cross-ministerial authority to oversee the BC government’s response to the addiction public health emergency.
End decriminalization: The NDP’s reckless decriminalization experiment has failed. It has only worsened drug problems across BC and must be stopped.
Stop drug legalization: The Conservatives will reverse Eby’s harmful policies that normalize and perpetuate opiate addiction.
Comprehensive drug awareness education: We will introduce province-wide, robust drug education programs, focusing on children, youth, and young adults.
Cutting-off drug supply: No more deadly drugs from "safe supply" sources. We will halt the government-sanctioned distribution of drugs and go after illegal sources with new urgency.
Harm Reduction with Accountability
Given the vicious nature of opioid addiction, harm reduction will continue to have an important role to play. However, the NDP has made it the sole focus of their approach – neglecting pathways to treatment, and unleashing a drug consumption free-for-all which creates danger in our communities.
Harm reduction must be done responsibly, and with a view to recovery. The Conservative Party of BC will:
Hold overdose prevention sites accountable: Party said as a temporary and emergency measure, some existing overdose prevention sites may be required. Unlike Eby, we will not hesitate shut-down any site that refuses to abide by strict standards of conduct. No more free-for-all drug use near schools and playgrounds, no more spilling-out onto residential streets.
Make every safe consumption site a meaningful gateway to treatment—something the NDP refuses to prioritize. Immediate accessibility to assessment, detox, treatment, and recovery must be the priority.
Establish a Virtual Opioid Dependency Program: Across the province, we will make it easy for anyone to connect virtually with addiction specialists and start treatment without delay.
Fund abstinence-based treatment and recovery as an option available to anyone.
Ensure wide availability of Nasal Naloxone: Free and accessible, province-wide, because saving lives must come first.
Treatment and recovery
Party claims British Columbians with drug addictions deserve real help – not excuses and enablement. The current treatment system is under-capacity, disjointed, mismanaged and too difficult to access. Ensuring treatment excellence needs to be a function of government oversight in all public and independent treatment facilities.
We commit to making BC the North American model for drug treatment and recovery. The Conservative Party of BC will:
Cut wait time to voluntary addiction treatment by making the largest-ever investment in care capacity. The NDP is failing people: it takes an average of 35 days to enter a care facility after treatment is sought. That’s not good enough.
Integrate treatment into the correctional healthcare systems: When someone with a debilitating addiction problem arrives at a hospital or is taken into custody, we will offer or require immediate access to evidence-based addiction treatments. We won’t allow people to fall through the cracks anymore.
Remove financial barriers to detox and treatment: Years of inaction has forced families to remortgage their homes to save loved ones. Conservatives will ensure that people who need treatment can access it without financial hardship.
Close the gap between detox and care: The current system lets people fall into dangerous gaps between detox and treatment. We will provide seamless and monitored transitions from detox to outpatient or inpatient care.
Housing with treatment: No more warehousing or tent cities. Current and future supportive housing facilities must be integrated with healthcare services as an integral part of their programming, not as an afterthought or absent altogether.
Build recovery communities: We will build regional recovery communities government that will provide professional care and guidance to those recovering from addictions. The program will allow up to 12-month live-in participation as well as a subsequent guidance program to assist in post treatment housing, career, and personal counseling.
Safe transition to treatment, not “Safe Supply”: The Conservatives will end the Eby/Trudeau “safe supply” experiment, which has caused more harm than good. We will help addicts transition safely to treatment medications, instead of perpetuating their reliance on dangerous street drugs.
Intervention
Keeping people safe means being willing to make the tough decision of involuntary treatment.
Drug addictions often rob people of the ability to make decisions that impact the safety of themselves and others. For 7 years, the NDP approach has been that if someone is incapable of asking for care, they do not deserve care – even children. It’s an inhumane and irresponsible approach that has rightfully horrified every parent in BC.
To get people the care they need and keep our communities safe, the Conservative Party of BC will:
Enact “Christian’s Law” for compassionate intervention: We will introduce involuntary treatment legislation for individuals with addiction who are unable to make life-saving decisions on their own. After consultation with his family, the law will be named after Christian DeSousa, a young man who lost his life to drugs after struggling with addiction since age 13. The NDP government refused to place Christian in involuntary treatment that his mother pleaded for, repeatedly.
Build specialized housing for complex needs: We will establish housing for those with anoxic brain injuries due to drug use, who cannot thrive in traditional treatment environments.
Conservatives will not give up on British Columbians who fall on hard times, including those who have become ill with addiction. Government must be focused on stopping - not managing - the downward spiral faced by too many of our neighbours and family members in BC.
Our BC Recovers plan is grounded in compassion and science. It rejects the complacency of the status quo because we believe that every British Columbian must be given the opportunity to return to a life of promise, purpose, and happiness.