Question Period Note: B2021 Addictions Support Commitments

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• Our Government recognizes that the overdose crisis is one of the most serious and unprecedented public health threats in Canada’s history.
• This is why we have invested over $700 million since 2017 to address this crisis, including $116 million provided in Budget 2021 to support a range of innovative, community-led harm reduction, treatment and prevention measures.
• These measures include safer supply projects to provide a medically supervised alternative to the contaminated drug supply, training for health and social workers to increase support for people who use drugs, and national naloxone distribution.
IF PRESSED ON HOW BUDGET 2021 IS BEING SPENT (94 words)
• Our government is committed to a comprehensive public health approach that is focused on reducing harm, saving lives, and getting people the supports they need.
• Funding announced in Budget 2021 will go to national and community-level organizations through Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) for projects that could include safer drug supply, training for health and social workers to increase support for people who use drugs, and national naloxone distribution
• Health Canada is currently assessing over 400 proposals from national and community-level organizations and will make funding decisions as soon as possible.
IF PRESSED ON PREVIOUS INVESTMENTS (119 words)
• The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened long-standing challenges regarding substance use and the overdose crisis, with most jurisdictions reporting record high rates of overdose deaths and harms.
• In addition, people who use drugs are also facing additional barriers and risks related to the toxicity of the illegal drug supply and reduced access to health and social services, including life-saving harm reduction and treatment services.
• The Government of Canada has committed over $700 million since 2017 to address this crisis, including $182 million to community organizations.
• This includes $150 million through the Emergency Treatment Fund for provinces and territories to improve access to evidence-based treatment services, which, when cost-matched by provinces and territories, will result in an investment over $300 million.

Most recent national data indicates that 24,626 apparent opioid toxicity deaths occurred between January 2016 and June 2021. Fentanyl and its analogues continue to be major drivers of the crisis with as many as 87% of accidental apparent opioid toxicity deaths so far in 2021 (January to June) involving fentanyl. While Canadians of all walks of life are affected, there are striking patterns, with death most common among males and individuals aged 20 to 49 years old.

The COVID-19 pandemic is compounding the ongoing overdose crisis, and people who use drugs are experiencing higher risks related to an increasingly toxic illegal drug supply and reduced access to treatment and harm reduction services. Several jurisdictions have observed unprecedented numbers and rates in relation to the wider impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although these increases have been observed across the country, Western Canada continues to be highly impacted. In 2020, the British Columbia Coroners Service reported 1,724 illegal drug toxicity deaths, a 75% increase over the number of deaths in 2019. Additionally, the crisis in British Columbia (BC) continues into 2021 where the number of deaths so far in 2021 is the highest ever recorded in first nine months of a year (January to September 2021 - 1,534 deaths), and a 24% increase over the same time last year (January to September 2020 – 1,240 deaths). Tragically, overdose deaths among First Nations people in BC have also surged, increasing by 119% in 2020 compared to 2019. In 2020, Alberta also experienced a 61% increase in opioid overdose deaths among First Nations people, when compared with the same period in 2019.

HEALTH CANADA’S SUBSTANCE USE AND ADDICTIONS (SUAP) PROGRAM

SUAP provides grants and contributions (G&C) funding to other levels of government, community-led and not-for-profit organizations, Indigenous organizations, and other groups, to respond to drug and substance use issues in Canada. The program supports a wide range of evidence-informed and innovative initiatives in the areas of prevention, harm reduction, and treatment (e.g. education and awareness activities, access to safer supply, drug checking, managed alcohol programming, pain management). Initiatives target a range of substances, including opioids, stimulants, cannabis, alcohol, nicotine, tobacco and vaping.

In 2021/2022, the Government has already invested $89 million in G&C through SUAP to support almost 200 projects across Canada. To further support communities working to address the ongoing opioid crisis and problematic substance use, Budget 2021 provided an additional $116 million over two years (2021/2022 and 2022/2023) for SUAP to support a range of innovative approaches to harm reduction, treatment, and prevention.

On July 23, 2021, a national call for proposals was launched to solicit new proposals from a broad range of applicants. Over 400 applications were received by the close of the application period on September 24, 2021, representing over $350 million in potential new investments. Assessments of these proposals are underway and decisions are expected this winter.

FEDERAL ACTIONS TO ADDRESS THE OVERDOSE CRISIS

Since 2017, the federal government has taken significant actions and has committed over $700 million to address the overdose crisis and substance use-related harms. Additional actions to date include: improved access to treatment and harm reduction, reduced regulatory barriers to treatment; strengthened law enforcement, developed of educational products and tools for the public and health care providers, and research and surveillance to build the evidence base.

This includes Budget 2019 investments of $106.7 million over five years with $1 million ongoing and $66 million announced in the Fall Economic Statement (December 2020) to help support community-based organizations responding to substance use issues address the additional challenges posted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2021, the government announced $20 million in funding for the distribution of naloxone kits and opioid overdose response training to support communities that have been particularly affected by the opioid overdose crisis and are experiencing challenges in improving health outcomes of their residents. As noted earlier in this note, Budget 2021 also committed an additional $116 million to fund projects through the Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP).

In addition to these investments, the Government of Canada has also taken action to make it easier for people being treated for substance use disorder to access medications and for frontline service providers to establish overdose prevention sites in temporary shelters.

The Minister of Health established an Expert Task Force on Substance Use in March 2021 that provided expert advice on Canada’s federal drug policy, including examining potential alternatives to criminal penalties for personal drug possession. The Task Force provided its final advice on alternatives to criminal penalties in May 2021, and on federal drug policy in June 2021. Both reports of the Task Force have been made publicly available and can be found online at https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/about-health-canada/public-engagement/external-advisory-bodies/expert-task-force-substance-use/reports.html.

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