First Nations people continue to be impacted by the overdose crisis at an alarming rate, an issue experts have tied to underlying mental health issues. What do you think ISN’T being done to help this issue?
Courtenay-Alberni
Kris McNichol, Conservative
The current approach has failed. We need to focus on treatment and recovery, not just harm reduction. Conservatives will invest in detox, recovery centers, and mental health supports to give people real hope and a path to healing.
Brian Cameron, Liberal
This is a very important issue for me personally, with many people close to me in my life being impacted and struggling with addiction. It is my personal belief that we need to work closer with our Indigenous communities and their knowledge keepers to find solutions that can combine traditional and modern practices to strengthen our communities for those in need. I also think there is more to be done in investing in treatment centers and health workers for and by indigenous communities. In 2023 our Liberal Government included $2 billion health fund for indigenous communities, and I would work to expand that if elected. Finally, we can do more to stop the flow of drugs into our communities - and this is part of Mark Carney’s comprehensive plan to bring criminal gangs to justice, stop illegal guns and drugs from flowing over the U.S. border - helping build safer communities here at home.
Chris Markevich, Green Party
Communities want their family members home, but at the same time the approaches sought out have been piecemeal at best. The problem of our times is truly "it takes a village". Governments must find new ways to build supportive communities from the ground up. Right now the system is inadequate, as it is very ‘top-down’ and responsibilities are downloaded to provinces and cities. The Green Party believes in empowering First Nations communities by funding restorative justice programs that heal both victims and offenders. We’ll also work towards fixing the justice system that puts far too many Indigenous people in prisons. A national public health emergency must be implemented, in order to activate federal assistance to all communities, as well as bringing mental health care under the federal Canada Health Act.
Gord Johns, NDP
They are our sons, our sisters, friends, co-workers and neighbours. It is toxic and deadly and Indigenous people are disproportionately affected. It’s a health issue, not criminal. We have to keep them alive to find a path to recovery. When their time comes, detox and treatment must be culturally appropriate, nearby and immediately ready for them. They may need support along the way, housing, counselling, a compassionate ear. Then, we need their help to warn others about their lived experience through prevention, education and talking with kids in their classrooms. We need a national health-based plan that prioritizes Indigenous people.
Cowichan-Malahat-Langford
Kathleen Code, Green Party
The opioid crisis must be viewed as a health crisis, not just a prison sentence. It is estimated that 13% of Canadians have an opioid addiction and come from all walks of life and socio-economic levels, not just the streets. The Greens are advocating for a policy of evidence-based wrap-around services to be delivered with care and compassion. This includes proper and affordable housing, counselling and harm reduction with safer supply and safe consumption sites. There is much stigma and contempt for people with substance addictions and we must work to decriminalise the process, leading to better outcomes.
Alistair MacGregor, NDP
No community in Canada has gone untouched from the toxic drug crisis, and we can no longer afford half measures or ideologically motivated approaches to solving it.
This crisis needs to be declared as a national public health emergency to allow for dedicated federal resources to invest in treatment, eliminate wait times for mental health emergencies, support on-demand recovery services, and provide for dedicated mental health support teams that can help people on the street.
I would also follow through with my national strategy on brain injuries, which would provide another important legislative framework for dedicated federal mental health resources.
North Island-Powell River
Jennifer Lash, Liberal
The current approach to drug addiction is not working. Many of those suffering from mental health and addiction are not getting the help they need. One of the main causes is the lack of supportive housing and treatment facilities, literally leaving people out in the cold. If I am elected, I will advocate for supportive housing that is linked to treatment facilities where underlying mental health issues can be diagnosed and treated.
Jessica Wegg, Green
Access to mental health care is too difficult – there aren’t enough providers, remote and Indigenous communities are particularly underserved, and what care is available can be too expensive for those who need it most. Mental health care is health care and it should be included in our universal public healthcare system, and it must be available everywhere – in our communities, schools, and prisons. This is part of the Green Party’s healthcare platform. (And because we consider mental healthcare to be part and parcel of healthcare generally, see my answer below for more ways the Green Party would address it).
Tanille Johnston, NDP
We’re not truly investing in a community-first approach. It’s been decades and decades of insufficient funding to First Nations-led care initiatives. This leaves major gaps in our communities that fail to address intergenerational trauma, addiction, and the mental health crisis that many of our Nations are in.
A complicated credentialing process for Mental Health providers coming to Canada who want to work creates barriers to a potential work force to support us. The defunding of Jordan’s Principle that saw 1000s of First Nations at a loss for access to a counsellor was horrific and has yet to be rectified.
Funding for community-led solutions—like land-based healing and traditional practices—is inconsistent at best, despite their proven effectiveness. Meanwhile, housing and wrap-around social supports critical to recovery remain underfunded, exacerbating vulnerabilities.
We need urgent strategies that prioritize harm reduction, mental health care rooted in culture, and equitable access to housing and health services.