QUESTION PERIOD — Health
Supervised Consumption Sites
May 21, 2024
Senator Gold, I want to revisit an issue that my colleague, Senator Housakos, raised recently, because I visited the supervised consumption site near Atwater Market in Montreal.
If I understand correctly, Health Canada has authorized the use of hard drugs at this new site, which is just five metres away from an elementary school. I observed that students on the playground saw drug users gathered at the entrance to the site. Is that really appropriate, Senator Gold?
Thank you for the question. My understanding is that the site is a provincial site, which means the federal government has no authority.
I’m also told that the province determines how the site operates.
Still, if I’m not mistaken, authorization for the injection of hard drugs is within Health Canada’s purview. According to a recent study by Professor Carolyn Côté-Lussier, this injection site located near an elementary school constitutes an unfair burden for the children and families of Saint-Henri who attend the school and who are already facing issues related to relatively high crime rates, poverty and marginalization. Why risk it? Why did Health Canada give this site the green light?
Thank you for the question. This location is under provincial jurisdiction. Health Canada approved the province’s request to establish a site to reduce the harms associated with hard drugs.
