The Conservative Party of British Columbia published a press release on Monday condemning comments made by the NDP Premier, David Eby, back in 2009. 

Speaking at the time on BC’s welfare program as it related to drug addicts, Eby was quoted by the Provence, saying, “If you want to take your welfare cheque and spend the whole thing on crack, that’s your right.”

Eby argued that the majority of addicts were capable of making rational decisions and that mandating treatment would violate their civil liberties. 

The BC Conservative statement also includes support for recovery programs, which they claim stand in direct opposition to NDP policies. The Conservative’s leader, John Rustad, has called for an immediate end to decriminalization and “safe supply” policies that have deepened the drug crisis in the province.

Eby reverses course on decriminalization 

Last year, a drastic shift happened in British Columbia when Health Canada granted the province a three-year exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, thereby decriminalizing people who use drugs and possess amounts of illicit drugs for recreational use in public. 

But in April of this year, Eby’s NDP announced plans to reverse course and recriminalize the use of drugs in public, after multiple stories revealed cases of drug use in hospitals, public bus stops, and elementary schools.

Eby said that the goal of his open drug policy was to save lives, but “that compassion, that concern for people who are struggling does not mean anything goes”.  

Since 2009, British Columbia has seen a drastic increase in drug-related deaths. Last year, in 2023, 2551 deaths were recorded in the province, under BC’s New Democrat government watch.