Canada's NDP

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August 31st, 2018

NDP Statement on International Overdose Awareness Day

Jagmeet Singh, Leader of Canada’s NDP, issued the following statement:

“Across the country, the number of overdose deaths are skyrocketing – nearly 4,000 Canadians died from opioid overdoses alone last year, and that number is expected to grow in 2018.

And while Conservatives only offer cuts to vital services – like Doug Ford’s recent freeze on overdose prevention sites in Ontario – the Liberal government has failed to act in the face of this epidemic.

Poverty, mental health, and addictions problems aren’t a criminal justice issue – they’re a social justice issue. But rather than move towards decriminalization, declare opioid addiction a national crisis, and invest in treatment and harm reduction – like New Democrats have proposed – this government has failed to act.

Too many people are living with the lifelong effects of surviving an overdose. And far too many families have lost loved ones to addiction.

Today we mark International Overdose Awareness Day by wearing silver in solidarity with those impacted by this crisis – and by advocating for the real solutions that Canadians need for their loved ones and their communities.”