Leader, as we mark World Mental Health Day on Thursday, I am thinking of Brianna MacDonald, who died of an overdose alone in a homeless encampment in Abbotsford, B.C., this past August. She was 13 years old.

Her loving parents appeared before a House committee yesterday and detailed their inability to get Brianna help for her mental health issues. Her parents told the committee that earlier this year, when she was 12, they were astounded to learn that she was acquiring needles, cooking kits and pamphlets on how to use drugs at a so-called harm reduction site. Her stepfather’s message to the Prime Minister yesterday was, “How can you put ‘safe’ and ‘drugs’ in the same sentence? It doesn’t make any sense.”

What is your government’s response to him, leader?

All of us — government representatives, opposition, senators and citizens — bemoan the tragedy and often the combination of mental health challenges and drug use and the ravages that they cause to individuals and families.

The government, working with the provinces, has provided and will continue to provide support to the provinces to increase services specifically targeted to mental health. It is working as well with provinces and territories to address illegal drug use and, in that regard, remains committed to addressing what is fundamentally a health issue, whether it be mental health or drug use as a symptom and a health problem, and will continue to do so.

Leader, speaking about the drug paraphernalia kits, Brianna’s stepfather asked the committee:

How can a 12-year-old . . . acquire these? She can’t buy marijuana at a dispensary, she can’t buy booze at a liquor store, but she’s able to pick up these kits to use drugs from a harm reduction site . . . .

That’s a good question, leader. Again, what is your response? Didn’t failed drug policies enable this child’s addiction instead of caring for her mental health?

Again, senator, it’s a tragedy that people turn to drugs that way, and it is a tragedy that a 12-year-old finds themselves in such a position to seek out and, in fact, suffer the consequences of that.

This government remains committed both to a health-centred approach to drug use and to supporting provinces, territories and communities with the challenges that their citizens face in the area of mental health.