Poilievre vows to defund 'safer supply' drug policies, put money into treatment

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he will take all federal dollars out of programs and facilities that use prescribed drug alternatives in perhaps his strongest commitment yet to roll back a Liberal drug program he claims is fuelling "chaos" on the country's streets.

The Tory leader said his government would focus squarely on recovery, adding that there's no room to compromise on so-called "safer supply" facilities that he sees as the cause of the current state of the addiction crisis.

"Am I going to give any more money to these agencies that caused the crisis? No. They're not going to get any more money. They've caused the mayhem," Poilievre said at a press conference Thursday at a playground in London, Ont.

Poilievre has previously said he would defund facilities that provide prescribed alternatives near schools and parks.

Thursday's comment suggests a future Conservative government would be even more sweeping and expand that pledge to all areas.

But for his policy proposal to be effective, Poilievre said the government needs to rapidly expand access to drug treatment programs.

"It is too hard to find right [programming] now and that's why a lot of people don't get help. They try, you know. They call a 1-800 number, they dig around, family members go scrounging around to try and find out what's available. They're then told that it's $40,000 to put someone in a treatment," Poilievre said. 

"We have treatment facilities. The problem is there's not enough of them," he said.

CBC News has asked the federal government just how much federal money goes into prescribed alternative delivery and other associated programs that Poilievre now says he would defund but did not immediately hear back.

The government describes the use of "safer supply" programs as a means to provide "an alternative to the toxic illegal drug supply" and help prevent overdoses, while helping people struggling with addiction connect with other health and social services. 

Poilievre also raised the issue of prescribed alternative drugs being diverted from their intended use and used as black market currency.

At a July 15 news conference, London Police Chief Thai Truong said they'd seized more than 11,000 Dilaudid tablets — the brand name for hydromorphone.

Instead of being used for their prescribed purpose, those tablets are being resold, Truong said.

"It's being trafficked into other communities, and it is being used as currency in exchange for fentanyl, fuelling the drug trade. That is a big concern for us," Truong said.