The epidemic of opioid addiction is a real problem. And there is a real difference of opinion between Liberals and Conservatives about how the federal government should be responding to that crisis. But there is also a lot of noise.At a news conference in London, Ont. on Thursday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the government had a 'secret document planning national decriminalization' — although it appears that document is neither secret, nor a plan.
In the days since, Poilievre has repeated similar claims in five more posts on X and four posts on his Instagram account. Prominent Conservative MPs Andrew Scheer and Melissa Lantsman made similar posts to X, while the Conservative party sent out a fundraising message to supporters on Tuesday that claimed a "secret memo" had been revealed.
Ya'ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, speaks in the foyer of the House of Commons in May 2024. The package was then posted to the federal government's open government portal on July 19. "We are committed to saving lives and making sure people who use drugs don't die alone," the document says. "Our government is committed to working, in partnership, with any jurisdictions that have a comprehensive plan for the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of substances for personal use.
Asked by Poilievre in May whether the Liberal government would expand decriminalization, Justin Trudeau said that "the only way we move forward on any proposals across this country, around decriminalization or other methods to fight toxic drug overdoses, is when provincesIn sum, the Liberal government's stated position is that it's willing to allow for decriminalization, but only if a provincial government wants to do so.