The BC Conservatives have pledged to support involuntary treatment for people struggling with substance abuse should they “pose a risk to themselves and others.”
Party Leader John Rustad said that he is committed to implementing involuntary treatment for those “suffering from severe addictions” if elected, he said in a release on Wednesday.
“People of all ages are being abandoned to their addictions, left to suffer and die while this government hands out drug supplies instead of real help,” said Rustad.
“The Conservatives will bring in Compassionate Intervention Legislation to ensure those at risk receive the necessary care, even when they cannot seek it themselves.”
The party said it will introduce compassionate intervention legislation that introduces laws allowing for involuntary treatment to make sure those struggling with drug addiction receive care “even when they cannot seek it themselves.”
Their proposed legislation would also include “creating secure facilities designed for treatment of individuals who pose a risk to themselves or others, ensuring they receive proper care in a safe environment.”
Finally, the BC Conservatives pledge to establish units for providing ”targeted care for those experiencing severe addiction or mental health crises” which would alleviate pressures on emergency rooms.
“The BC NDP’s refusal to act has cost lives and left families devastated,” said Rustad. “This is about compassionate intervention versus doing nothing. It’s about protecting those who are at risk of death or serious harm because of their addictions.”
However, the party’s announcement has been met with criticism by some, including Garth Mullins, an elected member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users.
“What we don’t need, what drug users do not need, is to get locked up,” he said. “It is not an evidence-based solution,” said Mullins in an 1120 NewsRadio interview.
Mullins said this idea has been continuously brought up “again and again, particularly around election time,” but that voluntary treatment should take precedence over rushing into an involuntary one.
“Maybe it sounds good to voters if we could just lock up the problem. But I’ll tell you, I’ve been a drug user for most of my life, and I would run away from something like that,” he said.
“I’m on the methadone program right now. That’s treated me very well because it’s voluntary. If it was involuntary, I never would have gone there to begin with, because I would have been worried about getting locked up.”
Still, the province has been dealing with a staggering amount of drug overdoses in recent years.
According to the BC Coroners Service, 1,365 people have died as a result of drug toxicity overdoses.
In the past seven years, 142 people under the age of 18 have died from suspected drug overdoses, reported the BC Coroners Service.
Additionally, the BC Centre for Disease Control found that overdoses were the leading cause of death for those under 18 in the province in 2022, listing it as the number one cause of death for those 10 to 18.
This problem has led many to look for a stronger stance on the issue of substance abuse, with the BC NDP government asking Ottawa to approve its request to recriminalize the use of illicit drugs in public spaces earlier this year.
The province decided to walk back part of its pilot project in May, a little over one year after its implementation.
The pilot program introduced in January 2023 allowed adults to carry up to 2.5 grams of drugs like fentanyl and cocaine for personal use which could also be consumed in public spaces without facing criminal charges.
”Our government has failed those who need us most. We must take action to ensure that no family is left powerless to help their loved ones,” said South Surrey MLA Elenore Sturko.
