Drug Deaths Up by One-Third in Canada: StatCan

Evidence bags containing fentanyl are displayed during a news conference at Surrey RCMP Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C, on Sept. 3, 2020. Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press

Drug overdose deaths in Canada have increased by one-third, Statistics Canada has reported. This rise in fatalities coincided with legislative discussions regarding the nationwide decriminalization of heroin.

A StatCan report, titled “Deaths 2021,” said that “unintentional deaths caused by accidental poisonings accounted for 7,006 deaths in 2021, an increase of 31.9 percent compared with 2020.”

As first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, statisticians said the “accidental poisonings,” accounting for almost 96 percent of deaths, rose by 32.9 percent. Most victims were male, and no gender-specific ratio was given.

A debate in Parliament over criminal charges in relation to narcotics coincided with the rise in the number of deaths.

In a 2019 report, “Impacts of Methamphetamine Abuse in Canada,” the Commons health committee urged cabinet to engage with provinces, territories, municipalities, indigenous communities, and law enforcement agencies to decriminalize the possession of small quantities of illegal street drugs. In 2021, another federal panel also recommended decriminalization.

“By criminalizing simple possession, Canada’s Controlled Drugs And Substances Act (CDSA) increases the stigma by labelling people who use drugs as criminals,” said the 2021 report published by cabinet’s Expert Task Force on Substance Use.

The report argued that “current public policies on substance use, and criminalization chief among them, are part of a vicious cycle that is fed by and continues to feed inaccurate, stigmatizing perceptions of people who use drugs.”

A majority in the Commons on June 1, 2022, rejected a New Democrat proposal during its second reading. The bill aimed to decriminalize the possession in small amounts of substances like heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, and other narcotics. The bill, known as C-216, titled “An Act to Amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act,” was defeated by a vote of 247 to 71.

Among the bill’s supporters were 14 government caucus members including Marc Garneau, the former transport minister; MP Joël Lightbound, who chairs the Commons industry committee; Ron McKinnon, former chair of the health committee; and Heath MacDonald, former finance minister of Prince Edward Island.

On Jan. 31, cabinet approved British Columbia’s call to begin a three-year experimental phase for the decriminalization of simple possession of substances including cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, heroin, fentanyl, and morphine.

Data released by the B.C. Coroners Service July 19 reveals that during the period of decriminalization from Feb. 1 to June 30, 1,001 addiction-related fatalities occurred in the province. This marks a 7 percent rise compared to the corresponding period in the previous year, during which there were 936 such deaths.

“There is no indication that prescribed safer supply is contributing to unregulated drug deaths,” the Coroners Service said in a statement.

In 2022, the Privy Council conducted in-house polling to assess public opinion regarding decriminalization throughout Canada. The poll asked respondents to share their thoughts regarding the decriminalization of small amounts of drugs. The report said that most respondents were against it.

Ottawa’s “safer supply” approach to drug regulation prompted documentary filmmaker Aaron Gunn to create a film that highlighted what he saw as the policy’s shortcomings. His film, called “Canada Is Dying” was released in May and documents how, despite the new Liberal policy, drug addiction and overdoses in British Columbia are still on the rise.

In March, B.C. Emergency Health Services reported an unprecedented 30-day high with nearly 120 daily overdose calls on average. Mr. Gunn’s documentary focused on cities like Nanaimo, B.C., whose residents are dying at twice the provincial rate from drug overdoses in 2023.

“Anyone who thinks safe supply is evidence-based, I think you'd have to have your head in the sand,” Mr. Gunn said. “One needs to just pick up their head and look around to see how it’s failed dramatically ... especially here in British Columbia, where everything has gotten worse.”

During the question period on May 10, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Leader of the Opposition Pierre Poilievre debated the topic. Mr. Poilievre cited similar concerns to those highlighted by Mr. Gunn in his documentary.

Mr. Trudeau responded saying concerns were not reflected by the statistics.

“The evidence is clear—harm reduction measures save lives. Some 46,000 overdoses have been reversed since 2017. We will continue to trust the science,” he said.