►
From YouTube: APRIL 24 2023 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
4th Session
42nd Parliament
A
You
Mr
Speaker
under
this
soft
on
crime,
Premier
over
to
social
disorder
and
violence
have
never
been
worse.
On
Friday
Vancouver
Police
Chief
supported
our
call
for
a
provincial
ban
on
public
use
of
hard
drugs
in
spaces
like
parks
and
playgrounds.
This
is
what
police,
chief,
Adam
Palmer
said,
and
I
quote
it's
just
common
sense.
End
quote:
will
the
premier
listen
to
the
chief
of
police
and
ban
the
public
use
of
hard
drugs
like
crystal
meth,
crack,
cocaine
and
Fentanyl
and
parks
and
playgrounds
and
other
public
spaces?
Yes
or
no.
C
Thank
you
honorable
speaker,
and
thank
you
to
the
member
for
the
question.
I
want
to
be
very
clear
about
what
decriminalization
does
and
what
it
does
not
do
and
what
it
does
not
do
is
it
does
not
change
the
ability
of
local
governments
to
pass
or
amend
their
bylaws.
What
it
does
do,
however,
is
require
that
local
governments,
as
they
well
know,
engage
with
public
health
when
they
are
considering
passing
bylaws
that
have
a
public
health
implication,
and
this
is
something
that
anybody
who
comes
from
local
government
is
well
aware
of.
They
know
the
law.
C
They
know
section
three
of
the
of
the
section
83
of
the
public
health
act
and
and
more
than
that
honorable
speaker,
I,
would
say
that
you
know
the
process
of
discussion
that
we
went
through
in
this
place
with
respect
to
the
issue
of
the
toxic
drug
crisis,
the
through
the
through
the
select
standing
committee,
the
discussions
about
the
role
of
decriminalization
in
destigmatizing
people
who
use
drugs
so
that
we
can
better
connect
them
to
to
safe
to
to
supports
and
to
enter
treatment.
C
That
is
something
that
was
that
was
that
was
recognized
as
important
and
supported
by
all
members
of
this
house.
We
are
working
through
working
with
municipalities
to
address
any
concerns
that
they
may
have.
They
have
levers,
they
have
the
same
tools
that
they
did
and
they
are
well
aware
of
the
the
their
obligations
under
the
public
health
Act.
A
You,
honorable
speaker,
well,
you
know,
Interior
Health
is
putting
up
a
barrier
for
municipalities
who
would
like
to
have
bylaws
in
their
communities.
The
note
sent
to
municipalities
from
Interior
Health
ask
them
to
wait
for
six
months
six
months
before
deciding
if
they
will
put
forward
any
bylaws.
That's
six
more
months
of
disorder,
six
more
months
of
chaos,
and
it
was
the
premier's
decision
to
decriminalize
hard
drugs.
A
C
Well,
thank
you
very
much,
honorable
speaker
and
I
just
need
to
correct
to
correct
the
the
record
with
respect
to
what
the
Interior
Health
Authority
is
actually
saying
what
the
health,
what
the
Interior
Health
Authority
is
actually
said,
is
that
decriminalization
does
not
change
or
condron
the
criminality
of
specific
unwanted
and
unsafe
behaviors
such
as
violence
and
theft
in
the
community.
Although
decriminalization
allows
people
to
have
a
certain
amount
of
illegal
substances
with
them,
decriminalization
is
not
expected
to
change
substance
use.
C
Behaviors
interior
Interior,
Health,
Medical
Health
officers
do
not
support
substance
use
in
public
areas,
as
you
will
well
know
from
our
messaging
on
tobacco
and
alcohol,
and
the
letter
goes
on
to
say
that,
where
there
are
particular
concerns,
those
should
be
addressed
in
conjunction
with
with
between
medical,
health
and
municipalities,
and
in
fact,
what
what
the
medical
health
officers
said
was
that
they
recommend
a
six-month
observation
period
to
monitor
the
effects
of
decriminalization
on
public
consumption
before
implementing
new
bylaws
or
modifying
existing
ones.
C
B
C
C
Is
what
in
fact,
what
they
did
in
sycamu
sikamus
had
a
local
concern?
The
medical
health
office
officers
worked
with
sycamu
sycamus
now
has
a
bylaw,
and
indeed
communities
know
best
what
it
is
that
they
need
and
are,
and
should
be
sitting
down
with
their
medical
health
officers
to
navigate
the
a
process,
a
public
health
process
that
they
all
well
understand.
C
B
D
You
very
much
Mr
Speaker.
Well,
the
the
letter
that
Interior
Health
sent
to
All
municipalities
was
very,
very
clear.
In
fact,
the
Interior
Health
Authority
basically
told
municipalities
in
that
letter
that
a
ban
on
open
use
in
parks
and
playgrounds
would
actually
be
harmful.
That's
what
the
letter
said
and
the
letter
went
on
to
say
that
they
don't
want
bylaws
to
be
to
be
passed.
They
shouldn't
be
considered
at
the
municipal
level
until
and
only
after,
there's
been
a
period
of
at
least
six
months
that
go
by
goes
by
to
see.
D
If
there's
any
increase
in
drug
use
in
these
public
places,
the
public
in
Kamloops
and
I
would
venture
to
guess
in
communities
all
over
the
province.
Don't
want
to
wait
another
six
months.
They
don't
need
another
six
months
to
see
if
there's
an
increase
in
drug
use,
it's
happening.
It's
real.
It's
in
everyone's
faces
today.
Now
to
the
to
the
to
the
minister.
D
Surely
the
minister
knows
that
after
six
years
and
two
terms
of
this
NDP
government,
the
results
are
more
crime,
more
social
disorder,
more
overdose,
deaths,
more
homelessness
and
more
violence
than
ever
before
in
British
Columbia's
history
in
question
period
last
week
the
minister
referred
to
police
over
a
dozen
times,
and
she
said
that
she's
in
regular
contact
with
law
enforcement.
Well
last
week
we
heard
from
the
Vancouver
chief
of
police.
D
Now
it's
Ray
bernotes,
the
former
Chief
of
the
Oak
Bay
Police
Department,
and
a
former
Chief
superintendent
to
the
RCMP,
who
said
and
I
quote,
drug
usage
must
be
prohibited
from
Parks
and
beaches.
That
was
among
many
caveats
for
my
support
as
a
police
chief
for
decrim.
Listen
to
this
when
kids,
don't
matter,
you've
lost
the
plot.
End
quote
so.
C
Thank
you
honorable
speaker,
and
thank
you
to
the
member
for
the
question
and
I
think
everyone
in
this
house
agrees
that
we
want
our
communities
to
be
safe
and,
of
course,
we
want
to
support
the
work
of
our
health
authorities
and
front
line
front
line
police
enforcement
around
balancing
off
all
of
those
all
of
those
issues
when
it
comes
to
to
Public
Health.
C
There
is
no
question
that
those
individuals
who
use
illicit
drugs
alone
are
at
a
terrible
risk
of
dying
and
when
Public
Health
looks
at
this
situation,
of
course,
they
are
looking
at
balancing
off
all
of
those
complex
circumstances
that
cause
that
that
can
cause
people
to
die
in
an
unrelenting
toxic
drug
crisis,
which
not
only
is
the
leading
cause
of
unnatural
death
in
our
Province,
but
is
also
robs
us
is
second
only
to
cancer
in
robbing
us
of
of
of
productive
years,
honorable
speaker
and
the
work
that
we
are
doing
together
that
we
scoped
out
together
through
our
core
planning
table
where
police
Chiefs
have
been
represented.
C
That
in
fact
responds
to
a
call
made
by
Canadian
police
Chiefs.
That
is
the
process
that
we
are
in
now
and
we
continue
to
benefit
from
the
advice
of
Frontline
law
enforcement.
I'm,
very
grateful
for
the
work
that
law
enforcement
has
done.
Their
engagement
of
the
education
material
and
their
their
ongoing
collaboration
is
a
very,
very
important
part
of
the
work,
we're
all
doing
to
ensure
that
we
Monitor
and
evaluate
and
evaluate
how
decriminalization
is
proceeding
on
the
ground.
So
we
can
assure
that
we
are
indeed
protecting
everyone
in
our
community.
D
You
very
much
Mr
Speaker.
Well,
the
reality
is
police
law
enforcement,
Chiefs
they're
all
saying
the
same
thing:
they're
saying
that
any
support
for
decriminalization
that
that
there
may
have
been
amongst
them
was
all
predicated
on
the
the
requirements
that
are
actually
well
detailed
in
the
federal
letter
of
requirements,
but
that
are
not
in
place.
There
was
supposed
to
be
training
and
resources
provided
to
Frontline
police
officers.
That
has
not
happened
across
British
Columbia.
There
was
supposed
to
be
education
for
the
public.
That
was
has
not
happened.
There
was
supposed
to
be.
D
There
was
supposed
to
be
Access
to
Health
Services.
You
know
treatment
and
supports
for
people
to
be
able
to
access
when
they
need
where
they
need
it.
That
isn't
happening
as
per
the
the
letter
of
requirements.
Unique
solutions
for
the
to
to
for
the
regions
and
remote
areas
of
the
province
was
also
supposed
to
be
there.
That's
not
there.
So
now
you
have
law
enforcement
that
are
saying
what
what
most
British
Columbians
are
saying
and
they're,
saying
no
decriminalization
with.
D
Without
these
guard
rails
and
these
Public
Safety
Protections
in
police
people
don't
want
want
decrimp
without
the
protections
the
premier's
empty
rhetoric
stands
in
stark
contrast
to
the
results
that
we
see
every
day.
The
premier
knows
it:
crime,
social
disorder,
violence,
overdose
deaths
and
homelessness
are
at
levels
higher
than
we've
ever
seen
in
British
Columbia's
history.
Under
this
government,
parents
are
terrified
to
take
their
children
downtown
or
even
attend
school.
Now,
over
the
weekends
drug
paraphernalia
was
found
on
the
grounds
of
a
Nanaimo
Elementary,
School,
Mr
Speaker,
guess
which
Elementary
School.
D
This
was
the
same
elementary
school
that
has
over
400
children
from
kindergarten
to
grade
seven,
the
same
one
where
a
little
packet
of
fentanyl
was
found
by
a
school
girl
last
week.
When
will
the
premier
take
the
concerns
of
parents
seriously?
Listen
to
police
Chiefs,
who
say
it's
just
common
sense
and
put
the
rights
of
kids
and
British
Columbians
to
be
safe
above
the
open
use
of
hard
drugs
like
crystal
meth,
crack,
cocaine
and
Fentanyl
and
Parks
playgrounds
and
public
places.
C
Thank
you,
speaker
and
I
just
want
to
be
very,
very
clear
that
K-12
schools
are
not
covered
by
the
exemption.
They
are
on
the
list
of
those
areas
that
are
not
that
are
not
covered
by
the
by
the
exemption,
so
that
issue
will
be
dealt
with
I'm
very
grateful
to
the
to
the
Nanaimo
school
district
and
to
local
law
enforcement.
Who
responded
to
the
initial
very
quickly
to
the
to
the
initial
issue
that
came
up
last
weekend?
C
E
That's
in
part,
because
this
government
is
using
an
old
Playbook
from
its
predecessors,
sweeping
the
streets
without
proper
housing
in
place
and
pretending
that
somehow
hundreds
of
unhoused
people
will
simply
disappear.
It
doesn't
work.
Hundreds
of
people
still
gather
on
the
streets
in
the
downtown
east
side,
because
the
reality
is
there
is
nowhere
for
them
to
go.
E
Sros
and
shelter.
Spacers
are
not
a
viable
option.
People
need
safe
housing,
a
door
that
locks
access
to
mental
and
physical
health
services.
Community
Support.
They
need
a
safe
place
to
sleep.
They
need
support
in
the
form
of
transitional
housing.
That's
the
government's
job
and
it's
one.
They've
been
stumbling
on
my
questions
for
you,
honorable
speakers
to
the
premier.
E
F
Of
Housing,
thank
you
so
much
honorable
speaker
and
thank
you
to
the
member
for
the
question.
I
would
agree
with
the
member
that
everyone
deserves
to
have
the
supports
that
they
need
to
get
on
their
feet.
I
agree
with
a
member
that
everyone
deserves
to
have
mental
health,
supports
other
types
of
supports
that
are
needed
to
get
the
stability
in
their
lives.
F
I
disagree
with
the
member
when
the
member
asserts
that
there's
nowhere
to
go,
we
have
honorable
speaker
been
creating
spaces,
in
particular
around
the
downtown
east
side,
around
the
encampments
on
Hastings
Street,
for
people
to
go.
We
have
shelter
spaces
available
for
people,
we've
said
many
times
and
I
hope
the
member
can
agree
with
this,
that
the
encampments
are
not
safe,
that
the
shelter
spaces
that
we
have
available
are
safer
than
the
encampment.
Certainly
what
we've
seen
on
Hastings
Street,
and
so
we
continue
to
have
the
the
space
available
we
are.
F
We
have
staff
that
are
on
the
ground,
working
with
people,
encouraging
them
to
take
the
shelter
spaces.
The
shelter
spaces
is
where
we
do
the
assessments
of
people's
needs.
Once
we
have
identified
the
needs
of
individuals,
then
we
move
them
into
other
locations.
The
member
would
be
correct
to
say
that
some
sros
are
not
in
good
shape
and,
and
certainly
the
premier
and
I
have
said
it
many
times
that
we
need
to
work
with
Canada.
F
We
need
to
work
with
City
of
Vancouver
on
a
strategy
on
replacing
some
of
the
sros,
but
all
even
the
activists
on
the
ground
will
tell
you,
honorable
speaker
that
majority
of
the
astral
spaces
are
absolutely
necessary
to
ensure
that
we
have
housing
for
people,
and
so
yes,
we're
building
we're
opening
up
new
units.
330
we
had
committed
to
by
end
of
June.
We
actually
bought
Chalmers
Lodge,
which
is
opening
95
spaces
open
and
two
weeks
ago
for
occupancy
permit
people
are
moving
in
right.
F
Now
we
are
close
to
opening
up
the
next
95
as
well.
We're
just
waiting
on
occupancy
permits,
we're
continuing
to
move
people
out
of
shelters
into
the
housing
units
on
our
speaker
and
that's
our
goal
for
too
long.
No
one
stepped
up
to
say
that
we
want
to
take
responsibility
for
the
people
of
downtown
east
side.
Premier
has
stepped
up
and
said:
yes,
you
know
what
enough
is
enough
we're
going
to
do
that,
we're
going
to
continue
to
do
that.
Work,
foreign.
E
Thank
you
honorable
speaker,
I
am
specifically
about
the
strategy
for
transitional
housing
with
the
Minister
of
Housing,
wanted
to
speak
about,
was
shelter,
spaces
and,
let's
be
clear,
shelter.
Spaces
are
in
no
way
a
form
of
housing.
You
have
to
leave
first
thing
in
the
morning.
You
can't
come
till
the
end
of
the
day.
Your
belongings
can't
stay
in
a
place.
There
is
no
door
that
locks.
There
is
no
safe
place
to
sleep.
This
government
doesn't
appear
to
have
a
coherent
strategy
for
transitional
housing,
but
others
do.
Others
have
stepped
up.
E
I
spoke
earlier
this
month
about
the
village
project
in
Duncan,
people
get
their
own
space
to
call
home
a
door
that
locks
they
get.
Mental
physical,
medical,
spiritual
support.
The
tiny
homes
create
a
community
of
support.
It's
cost
effective,
it's
fast
to
build,
and
importantly,
it's
proven
to
work.
The
village
project
in
Duncan
has
been
so
successful.
Other
communities
and
I
heard
from
them
at
avicc
two
weekends
ago.
Other
communities
are
seeking
support
from
this
provincial
government
so
that
they
can
have
the
same
projects
in
their
communities.
E
F
F
We
have
been
doing
that
work
Decades
of
under
investment
in
housing
and
we're
making
those
Investments,
as
we
speak,
not
only
in
Vancouver
but
in
communities
around
the
province.
Now
the
member
mentions
a
project
in
Duncan,
and
the
member
will
very
well
know
that
we
help
fund
the
project
a
similar
project
in
Port
Alberni,
but
we're
learning
along
the
way,
we're
learning
along
the
way
of
what
works,
what
doesn't
work.
F
F
They
have
some
challenges
when
it's
too
cold
because
of
the
systems,
so
we're
learning
from
all
those
processes
and,
of
course,
I've
met
with
the
mayor
of
Duncan
I've
met
with
other
Mayors,
who
want
to
find
Creative
Solutions
for
their
communities,
and
my
message
to
them
is:
yes,
let's
work
together
to
find
it
because,
in
the
end
of
the
day,
we
don't
want
people
on
cabinets.
We
don't
want
people
sleeping
on
the
streets,
we
want
them
into
housing
and
any
solution
that
is
worth
looking
at.
G
G
Just
last
week,
the
economists
published
a
damning
article
called
organ
botches,
the
decriminalization
of
drugs,
which
exposes
the
dire
consequences
of
this
NDP
government's
approach
and
I
quote
British
Columbia
is
undergoing
its
own
decriminalization
trial
in
like
Oregon.
It
is
opted
not
to
compel
treatment.
End
quote:
why
has
this
Premier
ignored
lessons
after
lessons
from
other
jurisdictions,
when
they
pursued
a
decriminalization
policy
without
treatment
and
Recovery.
C
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
Mr
Speaker
and
I.
Thank
the
thank
the
member
for
the
for
the
question,
the
the
work
that
went
into
building
the
application
to
health
Canada
for
for
the
exemption
to
allow
for
decriminalize
the
pilot
project
of
decriminalization
did
indeed
come
with
a
list
of
of
requirements,
and
I
will
say
that
we
have
worked
very
closely
with
health
Canada
very
closely,
with
our
core
planning
table,
with
municipalities
with
health
with
Frontline
practitioners,
with
doctors,
with
with
police
enforcement
with
community
members
on
all
of
those
areas.
C
Those
measures
are,
of
course,
issues.
We
are
continuing
to
work
on.
We
have.
We
have
increased
treatment
beds
in
the
hundreds
over
the
last
few
years
we
have
a
billion
dollar
investment
in
this
budget
to
continue
that
work,
we
are
working
with
the
with
with
Providence
Health
Care,
developing
an
Innovative
seamless
approach
to
treatment
to
detox
stabilization
and
treatment.
This
work
is
happening
every
day
in
our
Health
Care
system
by
incredibly
dedicated
doctors,
nurses,
addictions,
Medicine
Specialists
across
our
system.
We
are
working
across
the
entire
Continuum,
of
course,
there's
more
work
to
do.
C
G
You
Mr
Speaker,
we've
actually
heard
from
the
minister
today
that
they
haven't
met
those
requirements.
She
said
it
in
this
house
in
question
period
today,
whether
it's
treatment,
whether
it's
regions,
whether
it's
education,
whether
it's
training
the
requirements,
have
not
been
met
and
we've
seen
this
play
out
in
other
jurisdictions,
whether
it's
Oregon
to
San
Francisco.
There
is
example
after
example,
when
you
don't
do
the
work,
there
are
dire
consequences.
This
Minister
this
Premier
should
know
that
there
are
examples.
There.
G
Overdose
deaths,
crime
and
social
disorder
have
skyrocketed
in
Oregon,
since
decriminalization
took
effect
as
a
Portland
area,
drug
counselor,
Kevin
Dahlgren,
said
last
week
and
I
quote:
decriminalization
of
drugs
is
the
worst
thing
we
could
ever
have
done.
End
quote:
decriminalization
without
treatment
has
wreaked
havoc
in
San
Francisco
Seattle
in
Oregon.
It's
not
it's
so
bad
that
today
in
San
Francisco,
they
called
in
the
National
Guard.
G
B
C
Thank
you.
Thank
you
speaker
again,
I
want
to
situate
my
comments
in
the
context
of
the
challenge
that
our
communities
are
dealing
with,
that
our
province
is
dealing
with
of
an
unrelenting
toxic
drug
crisis.
That
is
the
leading
cause
of
unnatural
death
in
our
province
and
I,
absolutely
agree
that
we
need
to
to
act
in
a
way
that
is
evidence-based,
evidence-based,
and
that
is
what
we
do.
C
Evidence
from
other
countries
that
have
implemented
decriminalization
show
that
it
is
not
associated
with
increases
in
drug
use,
drug-related
harm
or
crime.
We
will
continue
to
take
advice
and
counsel
from
our
Public
Health
officials
from
those
who
are
engaged
on
the
front
lines
in
the
evaluation
of
everything
that
we
are
doing
in
relation
to
the
toxic
drug
crisis,
which
everyone
knows
is
phenomenally
complex,
and
that
requires
all
of
our
support.
H
H
Now
we
were
happy
to
hear
that
the
former
minister
of
Education
Mr
Speaker,
made
sure
that
steps
were
taken,
have
a
province-wide
ban
on
the
use
of
things
like
crack,
crystal
meth
and
Fentanyl
and
school
playgrounds.
That
was
a
good
thing.
Unfortunately,
that
minister
is
now
the
mental
health
and
addictions
minister
and
when
municipalities
are
simply
asking
for
the
exact
same
provincial
framework
for
their
Parks,
their
playgrounds.
It's
met
with
resistance
by
this
government.
H
It's
met
with
resistance
by
these
Health
authorities
and
for
Interior
Health
to
suggest
six
months
is
a
good
time
to
just
wait.
Mr
Speaker
in
one
month's
time
school
is
out
those
kids
don't
have
a
safe
haven
of
a
school
playground
to
go
to
they're,
going
to
be
at
their
water
parks,
their
municipal
water
parks
with
slides
and
swings,
and
their
parents
are
going
to
be
worried
for
them
and
rightfully
so.
C
C
This
is
a
challenging
challenging
issue.
This
is
taking
all
of
the
incredible
kind
of
innovation
and
dedication
of
our
Frontline
Health
Resources
of
all
of
our
Community
Partners,
in
order
to
try
to
change
the
dial
on
a
crisis
that
is
the
leading
cause
of
unnatural
death
in
our
Province,
and
we
have
been
very
grateful
for
the
work
and
the
collaboration
from
municipalities.
C
I,
think
I
said
last
week
in
the
house
that
I've
met
with
many
representatives
from
from
from
many
cities
over
the
last
couple
of
months
and
had
a
very
collegial
and
constructive
dialogue
about
moving
forward
on
areas
where
they
may
have
concerns.
C
Honorable
speaker,
communities
are
best
placed
to
know
how
they
need
to
address
issues
at
the
community
level
and
they
are
well
practiced
in
the
law
in
British
Columbia,
the
public
health
law
that
requires
the
and
sets
out
a
provincial
framework,
a
statutory
framework
for
municipalities
to
work
with
public
health
to
address
issues
in
their
communities.
That
is
the
process.
I
expect
that
will
will
be
undertaken
in
the
weeks
and
months
to
come
on
this
issue.
I
That
is
why
we
are
so
concerned
about
the
lack
of
guard
rails
that
this
government
put
in
place
did
not
put
in
place
regarding
decriminalization
and,
let's
be
clear,
the
premiers
rushed
to
decriminalize
fail
to
meet
the
requirements
that
were
expected
of
this
government
and
I
want
to
remind
this
Minister,
hopefully
for
the
last
time,
so
that
she
gets
it
right
from
now
on.
She
conveniently
leaves
out
the
actual
words
of
the
report
that
the
health
committee
tabled.
She
should
perhaps
check
out
page
48..
I
The
report
said
must
not
might
not,
maybe
not,
should
must
put
those
guard
rails
in
place.
So
will
the
premier
finally
acknowledge
the
damage
that
this
policy
has
inflicted
and
will
continue
to
on
communities
right
across
British
Columbia,
and
we
are
asking
him
today
to
stand
up
and
commit
to
Banning
the
use
of
hard
drugs
like
crystal
meth,
crack,
cocaine
and
Fentanyl
in
Parks
playgrounds
and
other
public
spaces?
It's
his
chance
to
do
it
today?
Will
he
stand
up
and
do
the
right
thing.
J
Who
died,
someone
who
loses
a
partner
who
had
an
injury
from
construction,
developed,
an
addiction
accidentally
overdosed,
and
when
you
talk
to
these
family
members
they
say
one
thing
to
you:
they
say
do
whatever
you
can
to
prevent
other
families
from
having
to
go
through
this
and
I
know.
The
select
standing
committee
heard
compelling
evidence
from
families
just
like
this.
J
I
know
that
every
member
in
this
place
has
heard
compelling
evidence,
families
just
like
this,
do
whatever
you
can
try
to
intervene
and
make
a
difference,
and
many
of
those
folks
they're,
not
Public,
Health
experts
or
anything
else.
They
believe
that
one
of
the
reasons
why
their
loved
ones
didn't
come
forward
to
them
didn't
talk
to
them
about
addiction
was
because
they
felt
stigma.
Shame
it's
illegal
I'm,
engaging
in
illegal
conduct,
I
can't
talk
to
my
family
and
they
feel
that
decriminalization
is
one
of
the
ways
that
people
can
come
forward.
J
We
have
literally
a
billion
dollars
in
the
budget
for
mental
health
and
addiction,
treatment
to
support
people,
hundreds
of
new
beds
opened
across
the
province,
and
you
know
I
I
understand
you
know
when
I
talk
to
the
governor
as
Washington
state
of
Oregon
I
hear
about
the
toxic
drug
crisis
in
their
communities
too.
They're
struggling
with
this
too
I
just
had
a
meeting
with
premiers
from
across
the
country,
the
premiers
from
Northwest
Territories
from
Nunavut
from
UConn.
Talking
about
the
toll
that
the
overdose
crisis
has
taken
in
their
communities
you.
J
This
is
a
national
issue
in
Canada.
There's
an
issue
right
down
the
West
Coast
United
States,
while
grappling
for
solutions
to
find
the
best
way
forward
and
really,
if
we're
going
to
address
it,
I
think
we
need
to
do
it
together,
as
we
have
been
frankly
to
date,
and
we
need
to
hold
on
to
that.
This
is
a
challenging
piece
of
work,
we'll
work
with
local
governments
to
make
sure
those
communities
are
safe.
The
playgrounds,
the
parks,
the
schools,
we'll
work
with
police
to
make
sure
communities
are
safe.
J
We've
provided
additional
funding
for
them
to
have
boots
on
the
ground
to
provide
that
support,
work
with
mental
health
providers
with
addiction
care
providers
and
we'll
do
it
with
the
parties
in
this
house
to
make
sure
it's
done
properly.
But
we're
not
going
to
let
this
issue
go
honorable
speaker
we're
going
to
do
the
work,
that's
necessary.