THE NDP on Sunday slammed BC Conservative Leader John Rustad, noting in a press statement titled: “Hypocrisy: John Rustad attacks facilities that John Rustad defended”: “Today, John Rustad claimed he would close overdose prevention sites. But exactly one week ago, he was passionately defending those sites.”
The NDP pointed out that Rustad said at a Richmond Town Hall on September 15: “I was talking with one individual who said he OD’d in a safe injection site six times before he finally got into treatment. Now, thank God, he was able, when he OD’d, he was in a place where they could provide the support for him. If he wasn’t there, you know, he wouldn’t be alive today.” [Audio File]
BC Green Party Leader, Sonia Furstenau, said that just two weeks ago, Rustad said he supported safe consumption sites and pointed out that he was a minister in the BC Liberal government that funded them.
She added: “In fact, he was sitting in the government Caucus when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Insite ‘saved lives and improved health without increasing the incidence of drug use and crime in the surrounding area.’
“Did John get spun by his backroom federal Conservative strategists or did he just wake up and decide that further endangering the most marginalized British Columbians was the best path to power? Either way, he should be ashamed of himself.
“Safe consumption sites save lives. There is no one path to overcoming substance use disorders – many people will relapse after a period of sobriety, and others are simply not ready to seek treatment. And we know studies show that involuntary treatment has a 96% relapse rate.
“Harm reduction is a critical component of an evidence-based solution to the toxic drug crisis because it keeps people alive regardless of where they are at in their relationship to substance use, while also taking strain off our health care system by preventing the spread of disease and overuse of our emergency care system.
“We need compassionate, evidence-based care and leadership that understands that we must address the root causes of the mental health and toxic drug crises in this province – harm reduction, voluntary treatment, robust preventative mental health supports, and a properly funded plan to not just reduce poverty but eliminate it.”
