A Liberal-appointed senator who previously pushed for drug decriminalization in Canada has joined the board of an Australian think tank that promotes liberalized drug policies.Blacklock's Reporter says Sen. Gwen Boniface, a former Ontario Provincial Police commissioner, disclosed in a June 10 ethics filing that she accepted a voluntary position with the Penington Institute, an organization that advocates for “safe supply” and health-based drug strategies. “Like it or not drugs are part of every society,” the Institute wrote in its most recent annual report. “It would be naïve to think otherwise, and cruel to ignore it.” The group says its goal is to promote “positive outcomes” rather than punishment or stigma around drug use..Boniface previously introduced Bill S-229, which would have required the federal government to create a strategy to decriminalize the simple possession of illegal drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. The bill proposed treating possession as a public health matter, with possible penalties ranging from warnings to fines or mandatory treatment. The proposal died in the last Parliament.“Criminalization and the oft-quoted ‘war on drugs’ approach has proven to be ineffective and ineffectual,” Boniface said at the time. “Transitioning to a health-based approach is beneficial not only to people who use substances, but also for the police, the justice system and health and social services.”.She argued that addiction should be handled through public health systems, noting that current supports for people seeking help are underfunded or misdirected.Boniface’s efforts came before the federal cabinet’s 2023 decision to decriminalize personal possession of hard drugs in British Columbia. That pilot program was ended after 15 months following complaints about public safety and a 16.5% rise in overdose deaths, according to data from the BC Coroners Service.“Changing laws alone is not sufficient,” a federal Health Department memo stated on December 17. “An exemption such as this needs to be accompanied by a comprehensive suite of actions.”Not all senators supported Boniface’s bill. Then-Sen. Donald Plett of Manitoba, the Opposition leader in the Senate, questioned the logic of expanding access to drugs as a way to reduce overdoses. “I just can’t get my mind around how making drugs more available will prevent overdoses,” he said. “It has nothing to do with the legality of it.”
