PCs blast Liberals over handling of mental health supports, spike in drug overdose deaths
CBC
The Progressive Conservatives hammered the Newfoundland and Labrador government Monday over ongoing drug overdoses, arguing it's a health-care problem that has people slipping through the cracks to become a criminal justice problem.
PC Leader Tony Wakeham said the province has seen number of overdose deaths accelerate in recent years and asked Premier Andrew Furey if he thinks the government is doing enough to address them.
Wakeham said 51 people died last year due to overdoses, a 143 per cent increase over 2019, when 21 people died, according to an access-to-information request filed by his party.
"In September it was reported that in eight months 24 Newfoundlander and Labradorian residents had died due to overdose. Four months later, that number more than doubled to 51," said Wakeham.
Furey said everyone in the province has been touched in some way by mental health and addiction problems and his government was doing its best to support people.
"Mr. Speaker, this is a problem that has gripped the entire nation, starting west and moving east. And we're not immune here," said Furey during question period in the House of Assembly.
Furey said it's an "evolving crisis" and drugs have gotten stronger. He said his government is focused on education and mental health and addiction strategies.
Noting the 2024 budget allocated $1 million for seven mobile crisis teams, Wakeham said one unit is up and running in his district, but he wanted to know whether the others would be running by the end of the year and whether staff had been recruited.
Health Minister Tom Osborne said they're being held up because the budget still isn't official.
"As soon as the budget is passed, we can get on with that work in earnest," he said.
Osborne defended the Liberal government's record, saying they were focused on increasing health-care positions, and accused Wakeham of being focused on cutting positions when he was CEO of the Labrador-Grenfell health authority.
"Mr. Speaker, that is the contrast between this side and that side," said Osborne to applause from his colleagues.
Wakeham shot back, "Speaker, I'm not even going to respond. Not even going to respond."
He then suggested the provincial government isn't acting with urgency to address the problem.