“The Squamish Nation is doing what the NDP government won’t: Confronting drug trafficking, enforcing public safety, and offering pathways to recovery.”

– Claire Rattée, MLA for Skeena, Critic for Mental Health and Addictions

VICTORIA, B.C.: Conservative Critic for Mental Health and Addictions Claire Rattee, issued the following statement responding to the Squamish Nation’s declaration of a State of Emergency on the drug crisis that is devastating Indigenous communities:

“Under the NDP government, Indigenous life expectancy has fallen by over seven years since 2017, largely due to the out-of-control drug crisis. Meanwhile, First Nations Health Authority data shows that Indigenous people represented 17.7% of toxic drug deaths in the first half of 2023, despite being just over 3% of population.

“Tragically, Indigenous British Columbians are dying from the drug crisis at rates far higher than the rest of the population. When a Nation is forced to take emergency action to address drug trafficking, community safety, and collapsing life expectancy, it is a damning indictment of this government’s response.

“The Squamish Nation is doing what the NDP government won’t: Confronting drug trafficking, enforcing public safety, and offering pathways to recovery.

“Every community in British Columbia deserves safety, compassion, and a supportive path to addiction recovery. The NDP must end their failed ideological experiment and start delivering the treatment and enforcement necessary to start saving lives.”

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Media Contact:
Robert Eales, Communications Officer
Robert.Eales@leg.bc.ca
+1 (778) 967-2818