Poilievre says he supports involuntary addiction treatment for minors, prisoners

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he supports involuntary drug addiction treatment for minors and prisoners when they are found to be incapable of making decisions for themselves — but is still looking into whether he can support it for non-incarcerated adults.

In July, when asked about a potential national strategy to compel drug users into treatment, Poilievre told reporters he was "open" to the idea of involuntary drug treatment for addicts but was not sure whether you could take someone off the street who hadn't committed a criminal offence and successfully rehabilitate them.

On Thursday, he was asked the question again.

"I believe for children, and for prisoners who are behind bars, there should be mandatory drug treatment, when they are found to be incapable of making decisions for themselves," Poilievre said in Toronto.  

"For adults, I'm still doing a lot of research on how that would work."

Poilievre also repeated his promise to defund programs that prescribe drugs to people at high risk of overdosing on toxic street drugs — what the federal government calls "safer supply" — and to promote recovery and rehab instead.

He also promised to tighten border controls to prevent drugs from being imported into Canada.

Poilievre cited the case of Brianna MacDonald, 13, of Abbotsford, B.C. MacDonald died of a suspected overdose in August after leaving treatment, despite her parents' objections.

"There's no question in my mind that she should've been in mandatory, involuntary, psychiatric and substance abuse treatment, rather than in a homeless encampment in a tent," he said.

Involuntary addictions care is a topic of fierce debate in several provinces, including British Columbia, New Brunswick, Alberta and Ontario.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was asked about Poilievre's position Thursday. Without agreeing or disagreeing with the Conservative leader, she said her government supports a "science-based approach."

"We have to use all the tools that we have at our disposal, to make sure people get the treatment they need, and sometimes a person can be too sick to really recognize what treatment they need and we also have to be sure that people are safe in their communities," Freeland said.

According to recent government data, there have been more than 44,000 opioid-related deaths in Canada since 2016, and 80 per cent of opioid-related deaths involve fentanyl and fentanyl analogues.

Civil liberties groups, including the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), have raised concerns about the prospect of involuntary treatment. They point out that the courts have established individuals have a Charter right to decline medical treatment, and people who are incarcerated have not lost their Charter of Rights protections.