Poilievre Criticizes Safe Injection Sites as ‘Drug Dens,’ Calls for Closure
Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre says safe drug consumption sites are “drug dens” that need to be closed down.
“Everywhere they’ve been done, they’ve made everything worse,” he said during a July 12 news conference in Montreal. “I’m against drug dens next to children’s playgrounds, schools, other places where people who are vulnerable in the community live.”
The Conservative Party leader called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to close down the site, which is a two-minute walk from Victor Rousselot Elementary School, adding that the federal government has the power to do so.
“Under Section 56.1 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the government has the power to accept or refuse a supervised consumption site like Maison Benoit Labre,” he said.
The Epoch Times reached out to Maison Benoit Labre but did not hear back by publication time.
Dr. Mylène Drouin, regional public health director of Montreal, recently testified in a health committee about the site at Maison Benoit Labre, saying it was important to put safe consumption services where people could find them.
According to Health Canada, more than 40,000 people have died from toxic drugs since 2016, when the agency began tracking these figures.
British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario led the country in terms of the number of deaths in 2023, most of whom were men.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
