Health Canada Downplayed Expert Calls to Expand Safe Drug Supply, Documents Reveal
OTTAWA - Internal documents show Health Canada officials were advised to expand access to a safe drug supply for opioid users, but the federal government has instead appeared to distance itself from the programs amid a worsening overdose crisis. the findings, reported by The fifth estate, raise questions about the federal government’s commitment to harm reduction strategies.
Sence being appointed in May, federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel has not directly answered questions about the federal government’s continued support for safer supply programs.Health Canada has suggested these programs “were one activity within a whole of government response” to the overdose crisis.
The documents reveal that experts urged a broader rollout of safe supply initiatives, which provide pharmaceutical-grade drugs to people at risk of overdose, as a way to reduce deaths and connect individuals with health services. Though,recent federal funding allocated to address the toxic drug and overdose crisis in ontario – more than $36 million – did not include provisions for safe supply.
The fifth estate reported that interview requests to former prime minister Justin Trudeau, former minister of mental health and addictions Carolyn Bennett, and canada’s former chief public health officer, Theresa Tam, were all declined.
During a Health Canada media conference on Oct. 31, parliamentary secretary Maggie Chi did not directly address whether the federal government still supports providing a safe supply of drugs to those at risk of overdose when questioned by The fifth estate co-host Steven D’Souza.
People who use drugs, like a man identified as Felix in the report, say a safe supply is crucial for survival and for creating the stability needed to pursue recovery. “If we ever hope to have capacity or to work on ourselves and to even think about recovery, we need to be given some grace,” Felix said.
The findings come as canada continues to grapple with a deadly overdose epidemic, with thousands of deaths reported each year. According to the latest data from the Public Health Agency of Canada, there were 7,391 apparent opioid overdose deaths in 2022.
