Mr. Speaker, I take great offence to what the member said about our wanting to have a debate in this place. He almost alleged that people were dying only because we did not get those safe injection sites into their communities or have them coming to communities near them. It is not that way. Extra debate on an issue like this is not the reason people are dying.

Another point is that in 2001, members travelled to countries such as Germany on this very issue. The member said in his question that safe injection sites would clean up the situation of people shooting up in doorways and in parks. No one involved with safe injection sites believes that. If people go to safe injection sites, they will be supervised there, but if the member were to go around the safe injection site, as we did, he would still see people shooting up on sidewalks and needles in the park. He would still be warned about walking in sandals or barefoot through parks. He could not do it, because the truth is that people do not only go to the safe injection site.

If they know they will get a clean needle, they will typically go there, get a needle or two, and those needles will be disposed of the next time they shoot up. Typically, as members found out in Germany, Switzerland, and some other countries, the next time is not at the safe injection site.

We do have an opioid crisis. The government voted against a private member's bill, Bill C-307, that would have established tamper-resistant fentanyl. No, the government would not accept that. It was not designed to be the answer to all of the problems, but one little tool in the tool kit, exactly as the minister said, but she said that was not the government's plan.

We need to proceed. The Senate did a study. It brought in people from all across Canada, worked hard, and took its study very seriously. Now the Liberal government wants to reject the amendments from the Senate because it believes it knows that one size fits all. It is shameful.

Kevin Sorenson

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