►
From YouTube: OCTOBER 4 2021 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
2nd Session
42nd Parliament
C
Thank
you
honorable
speaker.
In
july,
british
columbia
saw
the
second
highest
number
of
overdose
deaths.
Overdose
deaths
ever
recorded,
184
deaths
almost
six
people
every
day.
We
are
on
track
for
the
worst
year
on
record
when
he
was
in
opposition.
The
premier
had
a
lot
to
say
about
this
issue.
He
had
lots
of
answers.
C
Well,
here's
what
bc
coroner
lisa
lapoint
said
when
about
the
response
from
this
premier
and
his
government,
and
I
quote
it
makes
me
sad.
It
honestly
makes
me
very
very
sad.
What
we
have
seen
is
small
steps
primarily
left
to
one
ministry,
and
that
is
not
enough.
It
needs
a
really
meaningful
response
that
will
actually
change
effect,
change,
end
quote
so
to
the
premier.
B
Premier,
thank
you
speaker
thank.
D
You
thank
you.
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
I
I
thank
the
I
thank
the
member
for
her
question
and
clearly
all
members
are
aware
of
the
absolutely
tragic
outcomes
we're
seeing
across
not
just
british
colombia,
but
indeed
across
canada
as
an
increasingly
toxic
drug
supply
has
profound
impacts
on
individuals,
families
and
communities,
and
we
have
redoubled
our
efforts
since
last
october,
by
making
repeated
overtures
to
the
federal
government
to
ensure
that
we
can
start,
we
can
start
by
decriminalizing,
simple
possession
of
opioids.
D
We
have
run
into
resistance
on
that
front,
but
I'm
confident
the
work
of
the
minister
of
mental
health
and
addictions
and
the
work
of
the
incoming
federal
government
will
bear
fruit
in
that
regard.
At
the
time
of
our
swearing
in
the
then
solicitor
general,
the
current
solicitor
general
made
it
clear
to
law
enforcement
that
we
were
not
interested
in
prosecuting
people.
D
All
of
us
working
together
is
the
way
we
come
out
of
this
honorable
speaker,
I
share
the
the
disappointment
and
profound
unhappiness
for
the
results
that
we've
seen
over
the
past
two
years,
but
I
think
that
the
context
is
important
and
I
know
the
minister
didn't
want
the
party
the
member
didn't
want
to
leave.
Anyone
with
the
perception
that
we
didn't
have
other
things
going
on
a
parallel
health
crisis
with
respect
to
cobit.
C
Well,
thank
you
very
much
and
if
the
premier's
prepared
to
take
responsibility,
he
needs
to
stand
up
and
say
and
tell
british
colombians
and
confirm
the
fact
that
things
are
getting
worse,
not
better.
Let's
look
at
the
numbers.
Six
thousand
one
hundred
and
twenty
people
have
died
of
an
overdose,
since
the
ministry
of
mental
health
and
addictions
was
created
in
june
of
2017.
C
C
It
is
getting
worse,
it
is
not
getting
better
and
the
premier's
answer
just
isn't
good
enough.
So
to
the
premier.
Will
he
stand
in
the
house
today
and
finally
admit
that
after
four
and
a
half
years,
the
approach
isn't
working?
He
needs
to
fix
the
ministry
that
he
created
to
make
sure
that
we
don't
stand
in
this
house
month
after
month
after
month.
Talking
about
record
numbers
of
lives
lost
in
our
province.
D
Premier
well,
thank
you
ronald
speaker.
We
were
making
progress
up
until
2019
in
the
advent
of
of
covet
covid19
that
the
evidence
is
demonstrable.
The
member
should
know
that
we'll
certainly
pass
that
data
over
to
her,
so
she
can
review
it
in
the
past
budget
and
historic
500
million
dollar
commitment
to
mental
health
and
addictions.
D
Safe
injection
sites
and
other
harm
reduction
policies
are
the
foundation
of
success
and
it
will
take
time
it
will
take
patience
and
it
will
take
collective
action
by
all
of
us.
I
appreciate
that
it's
question
period
and
I
appreciate
that
the
members
on
the
other
side
came
here
to
shake
their
heads
in
disappointment.
We
on
this
side
of
the
house
are
working
every
single
day
to
improve
the
lives
of
british
columbians
and
we're
not
going
to
stop
because
you're
unhappy.
E
To
correct
the
premier,
it's
just
not
working,
and
what
is
clear
is
that
the
minister
and
the
ministry
responsible
are
failing
british
columbians
and
we
are
seeing
that
month
after
month,
six
people
a
day.
We
are
losing
six
people
a
day,
and
this
minister
says-
and
I
quote
this
year-
continues
to
be
incredibly
sad.
End
quote:
we
can't
just
be
sad.
We
need
this
premier
to
do
something
and
he
needs
to
do
it
now,
since
this
ministry
was
created,
the
per
capita
death
rate
has
doubled.
E
F
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
that,
despite
an
unprecedented
new
wave
of
measures
year
after
year
that,
despite
unprecedented
spending,
despite
unprecedented
effort
on
the
part
of
our
healthcare
workers
and
frontline
providers,
that
we
continue
to
lose
lives
at
such
a
tragic
rate
is
a
tragedy.
It
is
a
phenomenon
that
is
being
experienced
across
north
america.
F
It
has
been
directly
correlated
that
as
soon
as
the
pandemic
hit
drug
toxicity
spiked,
the
coroner
has
continued
to
document
the
increased
toxicity
that
is
falling
people,
despite
the
fact
that
we
have
doubled
the
number
of
supervised
consumption
sites.
Despite
all
of
the
measures
that
we
brought
in-
and
I
have
another
quote
from
the
coroner
from
february
when
she
had
yet
another
terrible
report
about
the
loss
of
life
in
the
province,
she
said
quote
the
fact
that
there
is
a
ministry
of
mental
health
and
addiction
whose
focus
is
on
supporting
people.
F
E
The
words
of
the
minister
speaking
offer
no
comfort
as
the
numbers
climb
and
as
people
continue
to
use
loved
ones,
lose
loved
ones
across
this
province.
The
minister
just
cited
a
quote
from
the
corner,
and
I
will
I
will
give
another
one
from
the
corner,
and
I
quote
for
the
coroner
and
the
parrot
paramedics.
We
know
that
a
thousand
people
who
have
died
looks
like,
and
it's
just
astounding
the
fact
that
we
haven't
seen
a
coordinated
response
is
heartbreaking.
End
quote,
we
know
the
ministry
has
no
actual
authority.
E
F
No
one
ever
suggested
that
we
were
going
to
build
an
additional
bureaucracy,
but
that
we
were
going
to
bring
addictions
and
mental
health
care
in
parallel
with
our
physical
health
care
system.
There
was
never
any
intention,
otherwise,
the
premier's
instruction
to
my
predecessor
and
friend,
judy
darcy
and
to
me
is
we
want
you
to
be
single-minded
in
your
cross-government
focus.
It
is
the
overdose
emergency
response
center
that
has
housed
within
our
ministry
that
coordinates
overdose
response
strategy.
F
G
G
F
My
previous
minister,
my
friend
and
predecessor,
judy
darcy,
the
minister
of
health
and
the
public
health
officer
were
already
working
on
safe
supply
as
a
way
to
separate
people
from
the
toxic
drug
supply,
because
what
we're
hearing
from
people
on
the
ground
and
from
families
is
that
it
was
toxic
drug
supply
that
was
killing
people.
When
the
pandemic
hit.
Within
two
weeks,
we
were
able
to
implement
quickly
through
public
health
orders
and
through
cooperation
across
all
of
government,
prescribed
safer
supply.
F
The
inc,
the
uptake
in
that
in
the
months
since
year
and
a
half
since
has
been
a
425
percent
increase
in
the
number
of
people
that
are
receiving
prescribed
safe
supply.
In
july,
I
stood
with
dr
bonnie
henry,
and
we
announced
an
expansion
of
that
prescribed
safe
supply.
Nobody
else
in
canada
is
doing
this
that
people
now
can
be
prescribed.
F
A
fentanyl
patch
for
the
purpose
of
avoiding
an
overdose
is
unprecedented.
We're
grateful
to
the
front
line
nurse
practitioners
and
addictions,
medicine,
doctors
that
helped
us
design
the
system,
those
brave
frontline
people,
particularly
in
the
downtown
east
side,
who
have
piloted
this
work,
and
we
are
continuing
to
expand
it
every
week
with
every
health
authority
across
the
province.
We're
determined
to
do
more
and
there's
more
to
do.
G
I
think
it's
important
to
note
that
prescribed,
safe
supply
presents
an
extraordinary
barrier
for
people,
particularly
those
who
have
had
less
than
ideal
interactions
with
the
health
care
system
and
when
we
consider,
for
example,
the
indications
and
evidence
of
systemic
racism
for
indigenous
people
in
the
health
care
system
and
the
number
of
indigenous
people
dying
from
a
toxic
drug
supply.
We
need
to
be
able
to
go
beyond
what
is
existing
right
now.
In
july,
crosstown
clinic
in
vancouver
started
providing
safe
medical
grade
heroin
for
patients
to
take
home.
G
This
government
needs
greater
ambition
if
we
are
to
truly
save
people
from
this
toxic
supply,
and
that
starts
with
transparency
on
progress
and
a
commitment
to
maintaining
programs
that
remove
the
influence
of
illicit
drugs.
My
question
honorable
speaker
through
you
is
to
the
minister
of
mental
health
and
addictions.
F
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
The
work
of
crosstown
clinic
and
multiple
other
service
providers
in
vancouver
and
across
british
columbia
is
saving
lives,
breaking
new
ground
working
within
the
framework
that
federal
legislation
requires.
We
are
learning
lots
from
them
and
we
are
removing
barriers.
Wherever
we
can.
F
The
crosstown
clinic
helm
carry
program
that
the
member
references
has
not
been
cancelled,
but
the
11
people
that
are
receiving
that
groundbreaking
service
delivery
for
as
another
way
to
separate
them
from
the
toxic
drug
supply
have
encountered
a
barrier
through
the
college
of
pharmacists
that
we
are
working
hard
right
now
to
resolve.
F
I
spoke
just
this
morning
with
a
doctor.
Stop
scott
mcdonald
the
lead
on
this.
The
program
is
not
cancelled.
Those
people
are
still
receiving
the
treatment
that
they
need,
the
medication
that
they
need,
but
the
home
care
piece
which
had
been
working
well
as
now
through
the
college,
is
a
conversation
that
that
we
are
having
and
I'd,
be
very
happy
to
update
the
member
on
what
I
learned
in
coming
days.
We're
working
hard
to
resolve
it.
A
This
is
what
government's
own
report
says
on
page
11,
and
I
quote:
30
beds
are
currently
in
the
process
of
implementation,
with
the
remaining
93
beds
in
planning.
End
quote:
that's
right.
After
14
months
in
the
middle
of
a
crisis,
implementation
hasn't
even
started
on
more
than
three
quarters
of
the
promised
beds.
So
my
question
to
the
premier:
why
has
this
minister
failed
to
actually
implement
what
was
promised
14
months
ago?.
F
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker.
The
commitment
to
double
youth
treatment
beds,
which
is
a
an
unprecedented
expansion
in
british
columbia
and
long
overdue,
was
had
a
promised
delivery
date
of
2023.
We
are
well
on
track
to
meet
that
in
the
meantime.
Earlier
this
year
we
added
100
adults
or
95
adult
treatment
beds.
We
have
a
commitment
to
implement
another
195..
F
A
year
ago
we
opened
a
new,
really
innovative
youth
treatment
center
20
beds
in
chilliwack.
It's
named
traverse.
I
just
visited
it
last
week,
along
with
the
member
for
chilliwack
and
and
there
are
more
and
more
addiction,
treatment,
bed-based
detox
recovery
programs
and
supports
that
we've
added
for
youth
across
british
columbia.
A
A
End
quote:
promise
beds
are
missing
and
there
be
no
new
foundry
centers
actually
opened
over
the
two
years
since
they've
been
promised,
so
the
minister
is
failing
to
deliver.
Can
the
premier
offer
details
not
just
words
on
when
exactly
british
columbians
will
receive
beds
and
foundry
centers
that
were
promised
years
ago?.
F
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Foundries
do
not
have
any
bed-based
component,
but
they
do
offer
a
fantastic
connection
to
addiction
and
treatment,
recovery
services
to
reproductive
health,
to
primary
health
and
mental
health
counseling.
As
the
member
can
appreciate
during
the
time
of
the
pandemic,
many
found
most
foundry
centers
were
not
able
to
open
at
all.
H
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Well,
communities
are
pleading
for
more
crisis
intervention
units
with
police
and
trained
mental
health
workers,
but
requests
to
expand
units
like
car,
40
and
kamloops,
and
proposals
for
new
units
in
other
communities
have
consistently
been
rejected
by
health
authorities
and
by
this
government.
B
F
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
The
manner
of
deciding
where
the
implementation
of
mental
health
support
dollars
will
go
is
done
always
with
the
people
that
are
most
connected
on
the
ground,
and
that
is
health
authorities
across
british
columbia.
There
are
extremely
successful
car
programs
across
british
columbia
where
psychiatric
or
mental
health
care
workers,
psychiatric
nurses
or
mental
health
care
workers
will
be
paired
with
police.
F
We
have
a
lot
of
successes
to
point
to
also
a
number
of
areas
where
the
health
authorities
say
that
actually
direct
funding
to
an
on-call
nurse
or
a
home
support
nurse
to
deliver
mental
health
services
would
have
worked
better.
So
we
continue
to
be
open
to
the
proposals
that
the
health
authorities
bring
to
us.
We
continue
to
be
informed
by
the
work
that's
happening
through
the
police
act
review
around
how
we
can
better
direct-
and
the
premier
has
asked
me
to
work
on
this
specifically
better
stand
up.
F
Community
mental
health
and
addiction
supports
so
that
we
can
allow
police
to
focus
on
true
crime
and
what
they
were
trained
to
do,
and
we
will
continue
to
work
with
health
authorities
and
with
police
learning
from
the
results
of
the
police
act
review
around
how
we
can
best
resource
this.
In
the
meantime,
communities
could
should
continue
to
speak
with
their
health
authority
because
they're
the
lead
decision.
H
Well,
thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker.
Well,
the
government's
efforts
are
not
working.
The
the
calls
to
to
police
the
the
calls
that
police
are
being
asked
to
respond
to
relating
to
the
mental
health
act
are
increasing
dramatically
in
in
kamloops
alone.
Over
a
hundred
police
calls
every
month
relating
to
the
mental
health
act
are
happening
and
the
car
40
program
in
kamloops
can
only
respond
to
about
a
quarter
or
25
percent
of
those
calls.
Why?
H
Because
the
existing
is
only
funded
by
this
government
to
the
tune
of
four
days
a
week
until
about
4
30,
so
regular
business
hours
now
news
flash
for
the
premier,
the
mental
health
interventions
actually
also
happen
in
the
evenings,
and
they
happen
on
weekends.
H
This
this
service
has
proven
to
be
effective
and
it
needs
a
modest
increase
in
funding
to
add
an
additional
mental
health
nurse
so
that
those
british
columbians
in
our
community
who
need
the
help
will
get
the
help.
Now
the
mayor
of
kamloops
says
that
the
the
hesitation
from
this
government
is
frustrating,
and
I
quote,
we're
providing
most
of
the
cards
at
the
table
here,
because
we've
got
the
police
officers.
We've
got
the
equipment,
we're
providing
the
car
we're
prepared
to
make
that
investment.
H
I'm
really
getting
a
little
frustrated
that
there,
the
government's
smaller
portion
of
that
is
holding
up
the
implementation
end
quote
and
mr
speaker
and
fraser
health.
It's
the
exact
same
situation,
there's
no
plan
to
increase
car
67
as
it's
called
there.
The
premier
keeps
saying
that
they're
trying
well,
mr
speaker,
they're,
not
whether
it's
bids
or
supports
or
counseling
or
mental
health
intervention.
H
F
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
so
the
focus
that
we
are
bringing
up
to
support
people
that
are
in
active
psychosis
people
who
are
in
in
untreated
addiction,
particularly
where
we
are
seeing
impacts
on
street
disorder
on
impacts
on
businesses
and
neighbors
of
people
that
have
been
living
outside.
F
And
all
of
this
is
bolstered
by
our
continued
investment
in
act.
Teams
on
on
community
action
teams.
All
the
ways
that
we
can
try
to
get
at
the
kind
of
disorder
and
untreated
mental
health
and
addictions
impacts
that
lead
police
to
be
called.
That
is
happening
in
in
one
branch
of
work.
The
other
is
the
work
with
the
police
act
review,
where
we
continue
to
be
informed
by
the
evidence
working
with
the
health
authorities
working
with
police
around
where
they
need
a
direct
pairing
of
mental
health
and
policing,
and
we
are
committed
to
doing
that.
I
Mr
speaker,
I'm
I'm
afraid
the
answers
and
the
excuses
that
we're
hearing
today
will
be
of
little
comfort
to
grieving
parents
across
the
province,
the
grieving
parents
that
wrote
to
me
on
friday.
Here's
what
they
said
our
17
year
old
son
was
found
yesterday
morning
in
vancouver
far
from
his
abbotsford
home.
He
left
his
treatment
facility
after
just
a
few
weeks
and
because
of
the
laws
in
bc,
we
couldn't
keep
him
there
now
he's
dead.
I
I
And
we
find
out
last
month
that
some
time
ago
the
government
decided
to
cut
funding
for
naloxone
kits
for
emergency
responders,
and
the
premier
explained
that
by
saying
there
was
a
supply
issue
only
to
be
contradicted
a
few
days
later
by
the
center
for
disease
control.
Who
said
there
was
no
question
about
problems
with
supply.
J
Gamertales
later,
thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
I
appreciate
the
question
from
the
member
opposite,
and
I
want
to
assure
the
the
member
opposite
that
there
is
no
shortage
of
of
naloxone
kits
that
are.
J
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker,
because
the
questions
have
been
asked
and
have
been
listened
to
respectfully
and
not
been
heckled,
and
the
member
asked
a
question
and
I'm
providing
him
with
the
answer,
which
is
there
is
no
shortage
of
naloxone
kits.
The
issue
that
was
raised
was
with
one
particular
police
department
in
oak
bay,
that
used
a
total
of
two
naloxone
kits
this
year.
We've
made
it
clear
that
naloxone
is
available
to
police
departments
right
across
this
province.
I
I
I
I
J
Thank
you,
honorable
honourable
speaker,
and
I
think
what
we've
seen
is.
The
the
minister
of
mental
health
and
addictions
has
outlined
exactly
the
work
that
is
undertaking
place
on
a
cross-ministry
basis
right
across
this
government,
and
then
all
ministries
as
part
of
their
mandate.
Letter
associated
with
this
issue
are
working
in
a
coordinated
fashion
to
ensure
that
we're
doing
everything
we
can.
J
What
the
member
has
asked
in
terms
of
naloxone.
Again,
I
will
repeat:
there
is
one
no
shortage
of
naloxone
two.
It
came
about
as
a
result
of
one
police
department.
It
has
been
in
place
for
18
months
that
there
is
enough
naloxone.
There,
police
departments
need
it,
they
get
it
and
training
and
all
of
those
things
are
there
in
place
to
deliver
noxzone
when
and
where
it's
needed.