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From the Social Justice Committee of FIRST UNITED

Provincial election campaigns have kicked off and we’re concerned about a policy that’s being proposed by more than one political party: involuntary treatment for people with “severe addictions” and/or mental health challenges or brain injuries.

FIRST UNITED has been serving the DTES community, including those who have mental health challenges, brain injuries, and people who use drugs, for over a century. As an organization with deep relationships and ties in the community, and as those who have seen firsthand the outcomes of failed policies like this, we vehemently object.

Involuntary treatment denies people of their basic human rights and bodily autonomy. It cages people who use drugs as prisoners without having committed crimes. It is also proven to increase overdose deaths. There is not enough evidence to show that involuntary treatment works well, but there is enough evidence to show that it can cause more harm.¹

Parties in favour of involuntary treatment couch mental health challenges within the primary context of addiction—signaling that this is in fact an attack on people who use drugs, and a desire for expanded use of the Mental Health Act. This type of government apprehension and confinement is akin to jailing innocent people. It robs people of their liberty and dignity. It is also a threat of renewed oppression and violence against Indigenous people.

First Nations people are overrepresented in toxic drug poisoning deaths in BC; in 2023 First Nations people in BC died at 6.1 times the rate of other British Columbians.² Being forced into involuntary treatment carries with it an association to Canada’s dark legacy of forced “medical treatment” of Indigenous people. Coupled with the increase of overdose risk after being held in involuntary treatment, this presents a significant and increased risk for Indigenous people.³

We believe this is at odds with Article 29 of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples⁴ (which, the BC government has adopted as its framework for reconciliation in 2019⁵), which declares “States shall also take effective measures to ensure, as needed, that programmes for monitoring, maintaining and restoring the health of indigenous peoples, as developed and implemented by the peoples affected by such materials, are duly implemented.”

We call on all political parties and leaders to revert their positions and instead take an evidence-based approach to the toxic drug crisis that will actually make a positive difference in the lives of British Columbians:

1. Establish policy positions supportive of safe supply; when elected implement a plan for a safe and regulated supply of drugs.
2. Double the number of community-based services that support people struggling with mental health and substance use challenges.
3. Immediately fund voluntary detox and treatment beds throughout the province, in every community; ensure that people can access treatment as soon as they want to, in their community.
4. Establish trauma-informed, culturally-safe and culturally-informed health and healing services, including detox and treatment facilities, for Indigenous people that are in line with Calls to Action 21 and 22 in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action report.⁶

We are disturbed by these proposed policies and invite British Columbians to join us in voicing their concerns, and protecting the rights and dignity of all in our province.

Sources

¹ https://www.mcmasterforum.org/docs/default-source/product-documents/rapid-responses/use-and-regulation-of-involuntary-substance-use-treatment-for-adults.pdf?sfvrsn=3dec6bb1_3
² https://www.fnha.ca/Documents/FNHA-First-Nations-and-the-Toxic-Drug-Poisoning-Crisis-in-BC-Jan-Dec-2023.pdf
³ https://digitallibrary.cma.ca/viewer?file=%2Fmedia%2FDigital_Library_PDF%2F2024%2520CMA%27s%2520apology%2520to%2520Indigenous%2520Peoples%2520EN.pdf#page=1
⁴ https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf
⁵ https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/indigenous-people/new-relationship/united-nations-declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples
⁶ https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/indigenous-people/aboriginal-peoples-documents/calls_to_action_english2.pdf