BC United motion calling to end decriminalization shut down in legislature Monday

A motion from BC United was shut down in the B.C. legislature on Monday, calling for a vote to end the drug decriminalization pilot project.

Along with BC United’s call to end the pilot, last week, B.C. Premier David Eby announced the province was seeking an “urgent” change to Health Canada exemption so that police can step in if they see drug use in public.

At the legislature, BC United MLA for Richmond North Centre, Teresa Wat said people are fed up with the provincial government’s approach and want to see a treatment-based approach.

She says despite dire circumstances, Richmond residents have been overlooked.

“More than 22,000 residents have signed petitions demanding that the government listen and consult before making decisions that directly impact their lives,” she said.

She says the need for a consumption site in a Richmond hospital has not been met.

“The initial promise of shovels in the ground by 2021 has been repeatedly pushed back…Pushed to 2031,” she said.

Wat says nurses and doctors are calling for help amid increased violence, open illicit drug use, and a shortage of resources within their workplace.

“It is time for accountability and a reevaluation of the strategies that fail to protect and support our community.”

BC NDP Henry Yao said at the legislature that in 2023, 2,511 people lost their lives to toxic drugs, and last fall the NDP introduced legislation to address issues with public substance use that is held up in court.

“It has become evident that a court case will not be resolved quickly and British Columbians do not want to wait any longer,” he said.

Co-founder of Moms Stop the Harm, Petra Schulz spoke at the Federal Standing Committee on Monday on the toxic drug crisis.

She says there’s been a large amount of misinformation on the matter.

“I’m deeply concerned about the amount of misinformation that we’re getting from some political players and also from some corners of the media that really don’t speak to the facts,” she said.

“We highlight issues that need to urgently be addressed to curb the death rates that you’re having right now, which are tremendous.”

Shulz says in B.C. there are about 4,200 people on safe supply prescription but 80,000 pain patients and just based on “simple math,” the likelihood that the deaths come from the safe supply patients is very small.

“Even if there is some diversion from the program, it is a tiny amount,” she said.

“That is not why people are dying, people are dying because we have a toxic unregulated drug supply.”

Shulz says decriminalization is meant to destigmatize and take the police out of the lives of people with drugs.

“Decriminalization allows people to reach out for help and seek support without the stigma of a potential criminal conviction,” she says.

“To save lives, we need to provide regulated alternatives.”

She says the housing crisis is a “problem we have across the country” that is using decriminalization of drugs as a “scapegoat” because it costs more to fix.

She says the lack of housing, and lack of overdose prevention sites and supervised consumption sites is a big problem.

“Where are people to use if they don’t have homes, and they don’t have safe spaces to go to?”

“The real solutions are far more complex and probably more costly, especially the issue of housing.”

-With files from David Nadalini.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the number of deaths reported in 2023.