Trudeau urged to make decriminalization of illicit drugs a priority
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is being urged to decriminalize the possession and use of illicit drugs as a way to combat the opioid crisis that has resulted in thousands of deaths in Canada.
Almost 70 organizations from across the country -- including the HIV Legal Network, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, and the National Association of Women and the Law -- have written a letter to Trudeau asking that he make drug policy reform a priority for his newly re-elected Liberal government.
They want drug possession to be immediately decriminalized and all criminal sanctions and penalties related to drug use to be eliminated.
And they want federal funding to ensure "low-barrier access" to a safe supply of drugs.
Almost 23,000 Canadians died from an opioid overdose between January 2016 and March 2021 and the groups say those deaths were fuelled by "a contaminated drug supply and the stigma associated with drug use" which is only reinforced by criminalizing drugs and drug users.
Trudeau has so far rejected wholesale decriminalization of simple drug possession and consumption, although a resolution to that effect was approved by Liberals at the party's convention in 2018.
IN DEPTH
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'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
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As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
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Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
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Local Spotlight
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P.E.I. lighthouse, N.B. river spotlighted in Canada Post series
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'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
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Investigating the tale of Winnipeg's long-running mystery bookstore
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'Love has no boundaries': Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
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Twin Alberta Ballet dancers retire after 15 years with company
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Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
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B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
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Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.