Poilievre says he supports involuntary addiction treatment for minors, inmates

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says he supports involuntary drug addiction treatment for minors and prisoners when they are found to be incapable of making decisions for themselves, but is still looking at whether he can support it for adults who are not imprisoned

In July, when asked about a possible national strategy to force drug users into treatment, Poilievre told reporters he was “open” to the idea of ​​involuntary drug treatment for addicts, but wasn’t sure if you could get someone off the street who hadn’t done it. has committed a crime and successfully rehabilitated them.

On Thursday, he was asked the question again.

“I think that for children, and for prisoners behind bars, there should be mandatory drug treatment, when they are found to be incapable of making decisions for themselves,” Poilievre said in Toronto.

“For adults, I’m still doing a lot of research on how that would work.”

WATCH: Poilievre says he supports involuntary treatment for some drug users

Poilievre says he supports the involuntary attention of some

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says he thinks that for children and prisoners “there should be mandatory drug treatment when it is found that they are not capable of making decisions for themselves”. When it comes to adults, Poilievre says he’s “still doing a lot of research on how this would work.”

Poilievre also repeated his promise to defund programs that prescribe drugs to people at high risk of overdosing on toxic street drugs, what he calls the federal government. “More secure supply“— and to promote recovery and rehabilitation.

He also promised to tighten border controls to prevent drugs from being imported into Canada.

Poilievre cited the case of Brianna MacDonald, 13, of Abbotsford, BC MacDonald died of a suspected overdose in August after she stopped treatment, despite her parents’ objections.

“There is no question in my mind that he should have been in mandatory, involuntary, psychiatric and substance abuse treatment, instead of being in a homeless camp in a tent,” he said.

Involuntary addiction care is a hotly debated topic in several provinces, including British Columbia, New Brunswick, Alberta and Ontario.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was asked about Poilievre’s position on Thursday. Without agreeing or disagreeing with the Conservative leader, he said his government supports a “science-based approach”.

“We have to use all the tools at our disposal to make sure people get the treatment they need, and sometimes a person can be too sick to really recognize what treatment they need and we also have to make sure- that people are safe in their communities,” Freeland said.

WATCH: Overdose crisis needs ‘science-based’ approach, Freeland says

The overdose crisis needs a scientific approach based on public safety, Freeland says

Asked if she supports Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s call for involuntary care for some young people and incarcerated people with substance use problems, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke of the need for a compassionate and evidence-based approach the science

According to recent government data, there have been more than 44,000 opioid-related deaths in Canada since 2016, and 80% of opioid-related deaths involve fentanyl and fentanyl analogs.

Civil liberties groups, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), have raised concerns about the possibility of involuntary treatment. They point out that courts have established that people have a Charter right to refuse medical treatment and people who are incarcerated have not lost their Charter protections.

“I would add that in prisons it is well documented that there is a lack of resources for voluntary treatment, so why not start there?” said Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, Director of CCLA’s Fundamental Freedoms Program.

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has refused to rule out the preemptive use of the Constitution’s prejudice clause to protect any involuntary treatment laws from a Charter challenge.

Others have warned that forcing people into care is not an effective way to treat addiction and risks driving people away from the health care system.

“If you look at the global statistics, it’s not working,” said Leslie McBain of Moms Stop the Harm, an advocacy group that represents Canadian families affected by substance use-related harm and death.

“It doesn’t succeed because people have to want to recover, they have to come to the need to recover on their own.”

He also said that “the devil is in the details” and without knowing what form of involuntary treatment is being proposed, it is difficult to judge the potential effects.

He said provinces should focus on making sure there are enough low-barrier recovery options for people with addictions who want treatment.