Conservatives target supervised consumption sites, NDP promises rent control

A Conservative government would ban any new supervised consumption sites from opening, while also making it harder for existing sites to operate, as leader Pierre Poilievre provided in greater detail Sunday his approach, if elected, to a form of harm reduction he has repeatedly condemned.

Poilievre was in New Westminster, B.C., to announce his government would respond instead with $1 billion to develop new recovery options, such as detox facilities, treatment centres and sweat lodges. He suggested 50,000 people would be helped through the plan.

He said Canada needs a different approach to recovery than the use of supervised consumption sites, which he has decried as "drug dens" responsible for the current addiction crisis.

His government would ban supervised consumption sites from being located within 500 metres of schools, daycares, playgrounds, parks or seniors' homes, he pledged.

Poilievre also said he'd suspend the approval of new supervised consumption sites until "clear evidence demonstrates they support recovery," according to a statement from the party. It is unclear what evidence the party would rely on, however, as Poilievre has disagreed with harm-reduction advocates who say there's proof these facilities have saved lives.

The Conservatives would also end the temporary exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act that authorized supervised consumption sites to open without requiring approval from the provincial government. 

However, Poilievre stopped short of saying all facilities would be shut down. Last summer, Poilievre vowed to remove all federal funding for prescribed alternative drug programs and divert that money into drug treatment.

On Sunday, he said existing sites that aren't close to schools, parks and other community-gathering places can continue to operate, so long as they follow new oversight rules.

They'd be required to check the health cards of all users and have licensed medical staff on-site at all times. The facilities must have a focus on connecting users with treatment and the support of nearby businesses and first responders. They'd also have to adhere to cleanliness standards and ensure the removal of needles in surrounding areas. 

Each facility would be subject to an annual review. Any centre that fails to meet these standards would have 30 days to comply or be shut down.

Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was in Halifax to announce a government under his leadership would only provide federal home-building money to cities and towns that have strict rent controls, leader Jagmeet Singh promised on Sunday.

He said he has no qualms wading into rent control, a matter of provincial jurisdiction, because the housing shortage is a "national crisis."

"I could look for excuses all day long," Singh said from a city where the median rent of the oldest apartments increased by more than 40 per cent in the last four years.

"I think a leader is not one who looks for excuses, it's someone who looks for solutions.… We can absolutely find ways to protect people at the federal level."