Amid criticism from the Opposition, Minister Ya'ara Saks says Liberal government will continue to listen to science and the experts when it comes to tackling the opioid crisis
Canada’s minister of Mental Health and Addictions says she came to listen during her first-ever visit to the Sault — a city that for years has experienced a higher-than-usual rate of death by opioid toxicity.
“We can look at data and numbers, but behind every number there is a person and a family and an entire community that is being affected right now,” Saks said in an interview with SooToday. “The numbers in the Sault are disproportionately higher than the rest of the province and to be able to come into the community and see how strongly committed local organizations, front-line workers are in trying to claw back the tide of this was really important for us to listen and learn from.
In an email sent in advance of Saks’ visit to the Sault, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s press secretary Sam Lilly reached out to SooToday with statistics about the changing landscape of drug deaths over the time the Liberals have been in power. "There are a myriad of challenges that are far, far more complex than what was moving through our communities 10 or 15 years ago,” said Saks. “It’s a much different situation than it was then, so I will push back on that comparison of the eight years we have been in power — I don’t think that really does justice to what is happening on the streets or a real understanding of how deadly the toxic drug supply is.
Lilly called Saks "Trudeau’s Minister of Hard Drug Legalization" in the email sent in advance of her visit and said Liberal policies have resulted in a crime wave running alongside the opioid crisis.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Amid housing and addictions crises, transitional help in Thunder Bay, Ont., offers hopeRuth Winter is living at a transitional house run by the Elizabeth Fry Society of Northwestern Ontario (EFSNWO). She was homeless for more than three years in Winnipeg before moving to Thunder Bay, Ont., and is now in recovery from alcoholism and addiction.
Read more »
Sault Chamber hosting fireside chat with Minister of Small Business, local MPJuly 31 event at Quattro Hotel will feature former TV host Rechie Valdez and Sault MP Terry Sheehan
Read more »
'The U.K. is safe': Britain's finance minister insists on country's safety amid violent riotsOne of the U.K.'s senior cabinet ministers insists the country is safe despite the Canadian government cautioning travel to the U.K. due to ongoing far-right violent riots.
Read more »
In the news today: Flight issues amid tech outage, Trudeau set to appoint ministerHere is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed...
Read more »
In the news today: Flight issues amid tech outage, Trudeau set to appoint ministerHere is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed...
Read more »
In the news today: Flight issues amid tech outage, Trudeau set to appoint ministerHere is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed...
Read more »