While it is the role and responsibility of the official opposition to hold the government accountable, it is often said that their role is not solely to oppose, but also to propose.

This week, the leader of the official Conservative Opposition, Pierre Poilievre, introduced the Conservative "Safe Hospitals Act". If a Conservative government is elected in the next federal election, set for October 2025, they plan to implement this Safe Hospitals Act

Before delving into the details of the Safe Hospitals Act, let's discuss why such an act is necessary.

Many are aware that the B.C. NDP provincial government, with the consent and support of Prime Minister Trudeau's federal Liberal government, approved a project to allow for the possession and use of certain illicit drugs. These include previously illegal and dangerous substances like cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and opioids in British Columbia. In this report, I will not delve into the debate surrounding this project.

Unfortunately, this experiment led to an increase in illegal drug use in many hospitals, compromising the safety of staff and patients. Even more concerning, illegal drug dealers and weapons such as knives were allowed into hospitals. This information was uncovered through health authority documents leaked to several BC news organizations. It's worth noting that this information was leaked, as the health authorities in question did not publicly disclose it to the people of BC.

Imagine the shock that many patients and staff experienced when they discovered open drug use, drug dealers, and weapons being tolerated due to a health authority policy. Credit goes to the BC Nurses Union, who raised concerns about this issue. They highlighted that patients and staff have been exposed to harmful, illegal drugs. It's safe to say that many would agree this is an entirely unacceptable situation in our hospitals.

B.C. NDP Premier David Eby recently asked Prime Minister Trudeau to change the parameters of this project and make illicit drug use illegal again in all public spaces including parks, hospitals and on transit. This request came after the realization that the project was not successful and had also led to an increase in overdose-related fatalities. The Prime Minister has since agreed to BC's request.

So, what does the Conservative "Safe Hospitals Act" entail? The act proposes several measures aimed at ensuring that our hospitals, particularly the staff and patients within, are never exposed to dangerous illegal drugs and weapons again.

Measures include:

• Establishing an aggravating factor for sentencing purposes if a criminal possesses a weapon in a hospital.
• Eliminate the Health Minister's ability to grant exemptions under Section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act if the exemption would permit the use of dangerous illicit drugs, such as fentanyl and meth, in hospitals.
• Pass the Private Members Bill C-321, proposed by Cariboo—Prince George Conservative MP Todd Doherty, without delay. This bill will create an aggravating factor for assaults committed against healthcare workers or first responders.

It's worth noting that this safe hospital act would only be applicable to illegal drugs, and would not extend to any drugs prescribed by medical practitioners.

Although healthcare is a provincially provided service, these federally imposed measures can offer additional tools to help maintain the safety of our hospitals for both patients and staff. Personally, I view our hospitals as some of the most valuable resources in our society, including the highly valued professionals working within them. They should be free to practice their work without having to shoulder this burden.

Allowing such ideological experiments from the NDP-Liberal governments has resulted in hospitals across the province to be filled with illegal drugs, drug dealers and weapons.

My question for you this week: Would you support the implementation of this "safe hospitals act" by the federal government? Why or why not?

You can reach me at [email protected] or call toll-free at 1-800-665-8711.