Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during a news conference in Richmond B.C., on April 19.ETHAN CAIRNS/The Canadian Press
Pierre Poilievre said a Conservative government would give judges the power to sentence people to mandatory treatment for drug addiction in lieu of prison time or require people convicted of more severe crimes to undergo treatment in prison.
He made the promises Saturday as his campaign began a short swing through British Columbia, where all levels of government are addressing the toxic drug crisis, a source of continuing political tension.
In Richmond, B.C., where Mr. Poilievre made his announcement, sustained community pressure against plans for a supervised drug-use site led to plans for the site being cancelled last year.
Many of those opposed are members of the Chinese community, whom Mr. Poilievre referenced in his remarks Saturday and thanked for their efforts.
He was also flanked by two men whose experiences with addiction the Conservative Leader cited as examples of why his policy to allow for involuntary treatment was important.
The Conservative campaign declined to make either man available for interviews with The Globe and Mail.
“This policy is not about punishment. It’s about redemption,” Mr. Poilievre said.
“It’s about getting people off the streets and out of addiction, back into a society where they can live rich, fulfilling lives and take full advantage of the Canadian promise.”
The changes Mr. Poilievre are proposing would require amendments to the Criminal Code.
He would give courts the power to order treatment as an alternative to prison, if or when people are too ill to choose it themselves, and if the crime involves small quantities of drugs for personal use or other minor non-violent infractions.
More serious offenders would be required to undergo rehab in prisons.
Mr. Poilievre acknowledged that involuntary treatment programs may appear to run counter to his long-stated advocacy for less government intervention. But he said for people with addictions, “there’s literally no free will left,” and it is appropriate for the government to step in.
The B.C. government announced in the fall it would seek to pass legislation to compel youth to receive care if they are unable to seek it themselves.
They also announced they’d introduce involuntary care for people with concurrent addiction, mental illness and acquired brain injuries, with interventions offered through correctional facilities, “highly secure regional facilities” and hospitals.
Mr. Poilievre’s Saturday announcement is part of a broader suite of measures he has proposed to overhaul existing federal government efforts to address the scope of the country’s toxic drug crisis.
He has also promised to end programs that allow people to access government-regulated opioids, a system that harm-reduction advocates say is crucial for saving lives because it provides a guaranteed “safer” supply of the drugs.
Mr. Poilievre said cancelling that program will help fund 50,000 new treatment beds for addiction. He will also cut federal funding for supervised drug-use sites.