►
From YouTube: MARCH 9 2022 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
3rd Session
42nd Parliament
A
E
Premier,
thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
I
thank
thankfully,
the
opposition
for
her
question.
I
also,
of
course,
want
to
thank
the
panel
for
their
work
and
the
ongoing
work,
quite
frankly,
of
the
coroner's
office
and
public
health
officials
here
in
british
columbia.
Since
2016
british
columbia
has
seen
an
unacceptable
number
of
deaths.
We've
talked
about
this
for
for
many
years
now.
E
We
have
been
doing
what
we
can
to
to
beef
up
programs
to
make
sure
that
we're
working
on
harm
reduction,
we're
working
on
prevention,
we're
working
on
treatment
and
we're
working
most
importantly,
on
enforcement
oftentimes,
we
lose
sight
of
the
fact
that
it
is
heinous
individuals
within
our
community
that
are
bringing
these
deaths
to
our
to
our
doorsteps,
to
families
right
across
british
columbia.
D
It
basically
said
in
unequivocal
terms
that
the
approach
that's
being
used
is
failing,
and
it
went
even
a
step
further,
because
what
it
did
was
laid
out
a
road
map,
a
road
map
with
specific
dates
and
recommendations
for
this
premier
to
stand
up
and
accept,
and
to
suggest
that
everyone's
doing
all
that
they
can.
In
fact
the
premier
has
refused
to
engage
in
the
way
that
the
leader
of
the
green
party-
and
I
have
suggested
on
multiple
occasions.
D
Let
me
quote
for
the
premier
again
from
the
report.
The
public
health
crisis
is
now
in
its
sixth
year
and
continues
to
worsen
public
health
efforts
to
date
have
not
been
successful.
End
quote,
six
thousand
and
seven
lives
lost
and
seven
every
single
day
likely,
including
today
and
tomorrow
and
the
next
day.
D
D
The
recommendation
is
very
specific
and
in
fact
it
calls
for
that
to
take
place
by
may.
The
ninth:
will
the
premier
today,
in
this
legislature
commit
that
by
may
the
seventh?
He
will
stand
in
this
house
and
table
the
30
60
90
day
action
plan
that
is
called
for
by
the
death
review
panel
to
deal
what,
with
what
is
an
urgent
crisis
in
british
columbia.
E
Premier
again,
I
thank
the
member
for
her
passion
and
her
commitment
to
these
issues.
I
know
they're
heartfelt
and
sincere,
but
I
also
know
that
she
understands
that
many
of
the
tools
that
we
need
to
develop
and
have
been
highlighted
by
the
panel
and
others
in
the
pa
in
the
not
too
distant
past
and
some
as
recently
as
this
week,
is
to
make
sure
they're
putting
in
place
the
treatment
capacity
to
address
the
challenges
in
communities,
and
that
takes
time
it
doesn't
take
30
60
90
days.
E
It
takes
time
to
establish
treatment
facilities
right
across
british
columbia
in
our
urban
centers
in
our
rural
centers.
It
takes
time
to
bring
on
the
health
care
providers
to
provide
the
services
that
we
will
need
in
complex
care
environments,
which
did
not
exist
honorable
speaker
until
just
recently,
since
the
change
of
government.
E
So
this
is
not
a
time
for
us
to
decide
what
we
can
do
in
the
next
week
is
the
time
to
continue
forward
with
the
plans
that
we
have
in
place
a
four
pillared
approach
that
has,
I
believe,
support
across
this
house
and
certainly
across
the
province,
to
make
sure
we're
putting
in
place
the
people
and
the
resources
and
the
infrastructure
to
help
those
who
desperately
need
it.
We
need
assistance
from
the
federal
government.
We
need
assistance
from
health
care
workers,
we
need
assistance
from
communities.
E
B
B
B
B
We
need
action
and
we
need
it
today.
So
I
will
ask
the
premier
this.
When
we
go
to
recommendation
number
three
which
says
by
april
11th
of
this
year,
the
province
will
prioritize
completion
of
the
pathway.
To
hope.
Will
the
premier
commit
today
that
by
april
11,
that
recommendation
will
be
followed
through.
A
A
Pathway
to
hope
is
a
10-year
project
which
began
in
2018..
We
are
well
on
our
way
and
we
just
issued
a
report
on
pathway
to
hope
implementation
just
a
couple
of
months
ago,
and
the
member
can
can
read
that
and
I'm
certainly
willing
to
walk
through
it
with
him.
The
the
work
that
is
underway
by
our
government.
A
Is
has
been
overcome
by
the
increases
in
toxicity
of
drugs,
as
the
coroner
has
mentioned,
to
have
fentanyl
contamination
in
four
to
eight
percent
of
of
toxic
drug
overdose
deaths
in
the
months
before
the
pandemic
began
and
to
now
have
concentration
of
fentanyl
between
24
and
28
percent
in
just
the
month
of
december.
B
Today's
report
was
very
clear
about
where
the
problem
lies,
and
I
quote:
a
lack
of
coordinated
services,
gaps
in
service
delivery,
long
wait
times,
eligibility
for
services
inconsistent
with
people's
lived
experiences.
End
quote:
this
government
has
failed
to
act
fast.
It
has
failed
to
act
on
safer
supply.
B
A
A
A
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
the
death
review
panel
in
2018
found
serious
flaws
in
the
treatment
and
recovery
system
absolutely
agreed.
Since
then,
and,
as
has
been
recorded,
reported
to
the
coroner,
we
have
amended
the
community
care
and
assisted
living
act.
We've
implemented
new
regulations
to
increase
oversight
of
treatment
and
recovery
services
to
ensure
health
and
safety
standards.
We've
done
more
consultation
with
people
who
use
substances
and
lived
experiences,
including
funding
to
health
authorities,
to
include
peer
coordinator
positions
and
establishment
of
a
provincial
peer
network
to
inform
how
those
treatment
beds
are
operated.
A
We've
educated
emergency
department
workers
about
opioid
use
disorder
to
tackle
stigma
and
treatment
barriers
in
their
apartments
and
developed
emergency
department
follow-up
following
an
overdose
plus
we've
expanded
the
opioid
agonist
treatment
program.
All
on
the
recommendation
of
the
death
review
panel.
We've
closed
two
loopholes
in
the
regulation
of
treatment
and
recovery
beds,
and
we
have
more
work
ahead
of
us,
as
the
premier
has
asked
me
to
transfer
oversight
of
treatment
and
recovery
beds
to
my
ministry.
That
work
is
underway
all
consistent
with
the
recommendations
of
the
2018
death
review
panel.
F
F
The
report
from
the
coroner
today
focused
on
outcomes
and
the
outcome
is
seven
people
dying
every
day.
I'm
trying
to
think
of
an
analogy
that
would
make
sense
here.
It's
like
houses
are
burning
down
every
day
and
the
response
is
not
to
use
fire
hydrants
and
water
hoses.
To
put
those
fires,
out
is
to
say
we're
going
to
develop
an
entire
network
of
fire
halls
and
an
education
program
and
really
explain
to
people
how
not
to
have
their
houses
burned
down,
but
in
the
meantime
the
houses
will
continue
to
burn
down.
F
F
F
It
is
the
poisonous
drugs
that
are
killing
people
and
we
dance
around
this.
By
wanting
to
talk
about
continuum
of
care
and
mental
health
and
addictions
and
opioid
use
disorder,
people
are
dying
every
day
because
of
poisonous
drugs,
and
there
is
a
solution
that
has
been
put
in
front
of
this
government
over
and
over
and
over
again,
will
the
premier
commit
to
what
the
coroner
is
asking
and
create
immediate
access
to
a
safer
supply
of
drugs?.
A
A
It
was
expanded
and
revised
based
on
what
we
heard
from
clinicians
and
people
who
use
drugs
that
they
needed
more
kinds
of
drugs
and
more
access
points.
We
worked
extremely
hard
across
all
partners:
health
authorities,
people
who
use
drugs,
clinicians,
paramedics,
ngos,
working
on
the
front
line.
Last
summer
I
stood
with
bonnie
henry,
and
we
announced
the
rollout
of
a
second
phase
of
prescribe
safe
supply.
We've
added
new
medications
to
that
we're
working
with
prescribers
with
the
colleges.
Every
day
we've
directed
the
health
authorities
to
implement
it
across
all
programs.
A
A
We
are
connecting
people
with
medication,
assisted
treatment
with
prescribed
safe
supply,
because
that's
what
we
can
do
and
we're
determined
to
do
more
at
every
in
in
every
form,
because
this
is
an
emergency
that
requires,
we
bring
all
tools
to
it
and
that's
we're
doing
offering
people
options
and
we're
determined
to
do
more.
We
have
to
do
more.
F
The
the
prescribed
safe
supply
isn't
working
because
more
people
are
dying.
That
is
the
measure
that
is.
The
measure
that
we
should
be
looking
at
honorable
speaker
is,
is
what
is
being
done.
Succeeding
in
having
fewer
people
die,
and
the
answer
year
over
year
is
no,
it
is
not
and
to
stand
up
and
say
we're
just
going
to
keep
doing
the
same
things
and
expect
different
outcomes
is,
is
becoming
deeply
distressing.
F
The
current
drug
policy
framework
is
rooted
in
prohibition,
criminalization
and
marginalization,
and
these
policies
fail
to
afford
basic
dignity,
dignity
to
people
who
use
drugs
by
forcing
them
to
access
a
chaotic,
poisonous,
unregulated
supply
that
is
killing
them,
and
the
government's
alternative
is
treatment.
Beds,
get
clean,
get
fixed.
This
actually
adds
to
the
stigma
that
makes
this
more
deadly.
F
A
Mr
speaker,
we
do
not
lack
the
political
will.
We
lack
the
jurisdiction,
that
is
a
federal
matter
and
we
are
doing
everything
we
can
with
urgency
within
our
provincial
authority.
I
feel
the
same
urgency
that
the
coroner
feels
and
that
the
death
review
panel
feels
absolutely
and
we
know,
there's
more
to
be
done.
The
terrible
loss
of
life
is
testament
to
that,
but
we
have
continued
to
evolve.
Our
response
to
say
that
this
is
a
single
push.
The
member
knows
that
we
are
not
advocating
for
treatment.
A
Only
at
the
start
of
the
public
health
emergency,
we
focused
on
scaling
up
overdose
prevention,
more
teams,
more
naloxone,
more
overdose
prevention
sites,
building
health
authority
capacity.
Then
we
added
in
medication,
assisted
treatment.
Then
later
we
gave
the
permission
the
only
place
in
canada
to
allow
nurses
to
prescribe
medication
assisted
treatment.
We
added
in
low
barrier
tie
out
programs.
We
then
complemented
that
by
scaling
up
overdose
response,
community
outreach
teams,
community
driven
programs,
we
added
in
inhalation
overdose
prevention
sites.
A
A
And
so
we
continue
to
do
more
and
we'll
continue
to
add
more
tools,
as
as
they
are
recommended
within
our
area
of
provincial
authority,
and
I'm
so
encouraged
that
I
now
have
a
federal
counterpart
that
the
prime
minister
has
mirrored
what
the
premier
did
in
dedicating
and
establishing
a
dedicated
minister
of
mental
health
and
addictions
and
I'll.
Look
to
my
federal
counterpart
to
look
at
federal
tools
on
safe
supply.
G
G
G
The
continued
toll
of
unintentional
drug
toxicity
deaths
has
created
devastating
effects
on
the
families,
friends
and
communities
of
the
deceased
and
has
reduced
life
expectancy
for
british
columbians.
End
quote
mr
speaker:
it's
over
6
000
people
who
have
tragically
lost
their
lives
and
we're
on
pace
for
over
200
this
month
alone.
G
So
one
would
think
that
the
deepest
sense
of
urgency
would
compel
this
government,
after
five
years
in
office,
to
at
least
say
this
morning
or
in
question
period
here
today.
Yes,
government
will
accept
these
recommendations
and,
yes,
government
will
work
as
hard
as
possible
to
implement
them
all
within
the
the
prescribed
timelines.
But
that
is
not
what
we're
hearing
today
from
this
government
five
years
after
the
creation
of
a
specific
ministry
for
mental
health
and
addictions,
it's
clear
that
things
are
worse,
not
better.
G
To
take
just
one
example,
the
previous
panel
in
2017
recommended
regulation
of
treatment
and
recovery
services
and
standardized
reporting,
but
here
we
are
five
years
later
with
another
death
panel
report,
concluding
that
this
was
not
done
on
page
36
of
today's
report.
Recommendation
number
three
calls
for
establishing
an
evidence-based
continuum
of
care.
So
my
question
to
the
premier
is
this:
will
the
premier
commit
today
that
his
government
will
meet
the
april
11th
deadline
set
out
in
this
report
for
actions
that
prioritize
a
real
continuum
of
care.
C
A
Our
government
has
been
acting
to
build
out.
The
continuum
of
care
has
been
acting
to
regulate
treatment.
Beds
has
been
acting
to
add
hundreds
of
new
addiction
and
recovery
treatment
beds
at
doubling
youth
treatment
beds,
while
also
building
out
prescribed
safe
supply,
while
also
going
from
one
supervised
consumption
site.
When
we
took
government
in
er
in
one
one
in
2016
to
over
40
now
and
at
every
step,
we
need
to
do
more
clearly,
and
that
is
the
work
that
is
funded
in
our
budget,
unprecedented
spend
on
mental
health
and
addictions.
A
And
it's
work
that
we've
been
focused
on
every
day
and
and
we
I
appreciate-
and
I
agree
with
the
panel's
direction,
on
the
ways
that
we
need
to
further
add
to
the
treatment
and
recovery
system
further
expand
with
the
support
of
the
colleges
and
the
prescribers,
all
the
people
that
they
had
on
the
panel
to
be
able
to
connect
more
people
with
prescribed,
safe
supply
and
to
use
the
tools
that
we
have
within
our
our
provincial
powers
and
we'll
continue
to
work
with
the
coroner's
office.
As
we
do
monthly.
H
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
The
death
review
panel
has
made
23
recommendations
that
need
to
be
implemented.
The
committee
has
laid
out
clear
deadlines
for
the
province
to
meet
over
the
next
30
60
and
90
days.
The
ministry's
failure
to
implement
the
last
panel's
recommendations
does
not
give
anyone
confidence.
The
health
committee
has
members.
It
just
needs
the
okay
from
the
premier
to
meet
we're
at
an
urgent
point
in
this
crisis,
with
nearly
seven
people
dying
every
day,
we
need,
as
the
minister
herself
said,
an
all
hands
on
deck
approach.
H
E
Well,
thank
you
honorable
speaker
and
I
appreciate
the
question
from
the
member
and
it
does
speak
to
the
need
for
all
of
us
to
try
and
get
back
on
the
same
page.
I
know
that
no
one
benefits,
no
british
columbians
benefit
from
contemptuous
questions
and
contemptuous
responses.
No
one
wants
to
politicize
this.
I
I
firmly
believe
that
and
again,
like
you
know,
you
can't
you
can't
come
in
here.
Honorable
speaker,
you
can't
come.
C
E
I
Thanks,
mr
speaker,
look
I
I'm
still
trying
to
come
to
terms
with
the
fact
that,
on
on
a
day
and
in
the
shadow
of
a
of
a
report
like
this
speaking
of
6007
individuals
and
families,
the
the
minister's
first
instinct
was
to
try
and
score
political
points
by
pointing
to
an
individual
that
hasn't
been
here
in
over
a
decade.
I
And
what
we
are
suggesting,
amongst
other
things,
and
have
been
suggesting
the
leader
of
the
opposition
in
this
house,
the
leader
of
the
third
party
collaboratively,
have
been
suggesting
for
months
and
months
now,
is
to
marshal
the
collective
energy
and
talents
of
this
place
to
work
collaboratively
and
find
a
solution
that
will
reverse
the
trend
that
we
are
seeing
in
this
report,
and
the
premier
says
I'm
prepared
to
think
about
that.
That's
the
same
answer
we
got
months
ago.
I
So
in
reviewing
the
report
in
reviewing
the
findings,
which
are
a
damning
indictment
of
failure,
mr
speaker,
the
opposition
asks
in
fact,
on
behalf
of
the
thousands
who
are
in
jeopardy
of
dying,
pleads
that
at
a
minimum
tomorrow,
the
premier
comes
into
this
house
and
says
I
accept
that
all
members
of
this
house
have
a
contribution
to
make.
We
will
mobilize
the
committee
that
is
in
place
to
affect
that
kind
of
collaboration,
and
we
will
work
together
to
save
lives
in
the
province
of
british
columbia.
E
Premiere,
thank
you
ronald
speaker
and
I've
known
the
member
for
abbotsford
west
for
a
long
long
time
longer
than
you
either
of
us
care
to
admit,
and
I
I
know
the
genuine
effort
he's
making
here
and
I
will
commit
today
to
this
house
to
bring
the
hou
the
health
committee
has
been
constituted
for
this
session
of
parliament.
We
will
put
together
terms
of
reference
and
we'll
strike
the
committee
and
see
if
the
collaboration
that
is
it
that
is
called
for
here,
actually
materializes,
I'm
hopeful
it
will
I'm
hopeful
it
will.
E
But
on
a
day
like
today,
with
war
in
europe
with
all
of
the
upheaval,
british
colombians
have
been
through
over
the
past
two
and
a
half
years,
and
I
know
every
single
member
feels
exactly
the
same
way.
I
do
and
exactly
the
same
sentiment
that
the
member
for
abbotsford
west
just
put
on
this
floor
today.
E
All
of
us
are
shaken.
All
of
us
are
rattled
when
we
see
6
000
people,
6
000
lives,
extinguished
because
of
a
toxic
drug
supply,
and
it
will
take
more
than
just
safe
supply.
It
will
take
more
than
harm
reduction.
It
will
take
more
than
treatment.
It
will
take
enforcement
so
that
we
can
eliminate
the
scourge
of
people
in
our
society
that
profit
of
putting
people
in
boxes,
young
men
and
women
across
this
province.
All
of
us
feel
the
same
sentiment
here.