Dear Colleagues,
First and foremost, we would like to thank you for signing onto our call for drug decriminalization in Canada last year. Since then, several jurisdictions have been working on local requests for decriminalization and the Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs launched an historic lawsuit challenging Canada’s punitive drug laws. It is more important now than ever to bring awareness to the drug poisoning crisis and demand legislative change.
Among many things, COVID-19 has taught us the importance of public health, and placed it at the forefront of mainstream political discourse. Canadian politicians have been eager to reassure citizens that when it comes to COVID-19, their decision making is entirely science-based. Unfortunately, the Government of Canada continues to fail to take critical action on the opioid crisis, a public health crisis that not only predates COVID-19 but continues to be exacerbated by it.
With a newly elected federal government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has the power to implement progressive drug policy today. Mandate letters to his Cabinet will soon be drafted, and these letters must prioritize drug policy and a response to the drug poisoning crisis that continues to claim the lives of our loved ones and community members.
Please sign onto our call today to ensure that our federal government prioritizes drug policy in these mandate letters to Cabinet.
In Solidarity,
Association des intervenants en dépendance du Québec
Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs
Canadian Drug Policy Coalition/La Coalition Canadienne des politiques sur les drogues
HIV Legal Network/Réseau Juridique VIH