Drug offenders deserve help, not ‘very serious’ penalties, O’Toole says
However, Conservative leader feels it’s not time for broader legalization
Leader Erin O’Toole says he opposes “serious” penalties for simple possession of illegal drugs, but that his party will not support further legalization.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa Monday, O’Toole said that Canadians struggling with addiction deserve assistance from the government — not harsh sentences.
“It’s not appropriate to have very serious penalties for Canadians who have problems with drugs,” O’Toole said at a news conference.
“I don’t believe in very serious penalties for something like that. But at the same time, we need to educate Canadians because there is a risk with substances, drugs, and it’s the role of politicians to talk about the risks for Canadians’ well-being.”
But O’Toole said his party will not support legalizing drugs, while avoiding a direct question about decriminalization. Legalization means making a drug permissible to use, as Canada recently did with cannabis, whereas decriminalization implies Canadians would not be charged for simple possession.
O’Toole said “now is not the time” to further legalize drugs.
The Conservative government of Stephen Harper brought in mandatory minimum sentencing for non-violent drug crimes. The Supreme Court struck down the measures years later, suggesting the law cast too wide a net and could result in “cruel and unusual punishment.”
O’Toole’s comments suggest the Conservative leader is softening the party’s stance on drug crimes, as Canada continues to struggle to address an ongoing opioid crisis.
“We’ve seen horrible cases with opioids and other (drugs). Maybe it’s time for the government to put in place a plan for the well-being of Canadians, on the drugs and on mental health. It’s not the time right now to legalize all drugs,” O’Toole said.
In August, the director of public prosecutions issued direction to Crown attorneys that prosecution of drug offences should “generally be reserved for the most serious manifestations of the offence.”
Those “manifestations” include when possession of drugs puts children at risk, impaired driving, threats to the community and trafficking.
Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith welcomed O’Toole’s comments. The Beaches-East York MP has a private members’ bill before Parliament that would decriminalize simple possession. It is expected to come before the House of Commons in March.
“In the same way we saw police chiefs support decriminalization in the summer, I certainly welcome all voices, including Conservative voices, in their support for evidencebased drug policy,” ErskineSmith said in an interview Monday.
“The only barrier is politics … I think Erin is right to point to education, because I think the only challenge here is explaining to Canadians what the change actually means, that we’re right now stigmatizing the very people that we want to encourage to access services.”