John Rustad, the leader of the British Columbia Conservative Party, says he supports involuntary treatment for drug addicts. If elected in the provincial election, he promises to put measures in place to make that happen.
In a statement, John Rustad cited the urgent need to protect vulnerable British Columbians from the devastating effects of addiction, saying the current system has failed not only youth, but adults struggling without adequate support.
To achieve this, the Conservative Party is proposing three avenues: the introduction of laws authorizing involuntary treatment for those seriously threatened by drug addiction, the construction of low-security facilities for treatment in a secure environment and the creation of crisis response and stabilization units in order to reduce pressure in emergency rooms.
The NDP’s refusal to act has cost lives and left families devastated, Rustad said. It’s about compassionate intervention rather than doing nothing, he continued.
The NDP has not confirmed its position.
For his part, Premier David Eby said in 2022 that involuntary hospitalizations could be a compassionate option because they prevent people from being released back onto the streets after being hospitalized for an overdose. He has not since confirmed whether he still supports the measure in serious drug addiction cases.
Provincial Health Minister Adrian Dix said the premier will have more to say soon. Dix also noted that the government launched a task force in June, led by psychiatrist Daniel Vigo. The goal is to provide solutions to address the most difficult addiction cases.
The important thing is the treatment, explains Minister Dix. So to hear Mr. Rustad, who is against public health and was against treatment when he was in government, proposing this now, is hard to believe, he concluded.
A proposal that does not meet with unanimous approval
For Louis Letellier de St-Just, a lawyer specializing in health law, this proposal is not new. He describes it as a rather easy, extremely brutal response to the crisis that we are experiencing across the country.
He adds that particularly in addiction, studies have never provided conclusive evidence that involuntary treatment works.
Instead of addressing the individual, who is the victim in all of this, there are a lot of underlying issues, [comme] the lack of housing, the question [économique]support in the environment.
A quote from Louis Letellier de St-Just, lawyer specializing in health law
The Surrey Union of Drug Users (SUDU), a social movement of drug users in Surrey, agrees that we need to focus on the root causes of the problem. Involuntary treatment is not only unnecessary, it is traumatic and discourages people from seeking treatment, SUDU says in a written statement.
The organization is disappointed to see what it considers political opportunism, with leaders wanting to impose treatments when our hospital services and treatment sites are already full.
This is an electoral madness built on the corpses of our friends, she concluded.
With information from Wildinette Paul
