Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said his government would initiate a lawsuit against Big Pharma and their consultants for their role in the opioid crisis. .“The opioid epidemic has ravaged our communities, destroyed lives, and devastated families,” said Poilievre in a Tuesday statement. .“We must demand justice for the victims of addiction.” .The statement said 32,000 Canadians have died from opioid overdoses and 33,000 have been hospitalized since 2016. It said the NDP-Liberal approach has failed. .While Canada suffers through an opioid epidemic, Poilievre said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “has refused to stand up to the greedy pharmaceutical companies who cynically marketed addictive drugs as pain medication.” The opioid crisis has its origins in OxyContin being invented by Purdue Pharma in 1995. .OxyContin was over-promoted and over prescribed, leading to a massive increase in opioid dependency. McKinsey and Company advised Big Pharma to get their customers addicted, including by telling them to offer bonuses and rebates to sellers based on the number of drug overdoses in their areas. .The British Columbia government launched a class-action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors for the costs to the Canadian healthcare system. A Poilievre government would join as an applicant. .Purdue Pharma Canada agreed to a first-of-its-kind settlement in Canada in June after the British Columbia government advocated for the opioid manufacturer to provide healthcare costs. .READ MORE: Settlement reached between Purdue Pharma and Canadians for opioid damages.The proposed settlement with Purdue Pharma totals $150 million in damages. This amount is the largest government health claim lawsuit in Canadian history. .The agreement has to receive final approval from the courts, which is expected soon. .Poilievre said this is not enough. He added his government will “go further in seeking justice for our people.” .The statement went on to say a Poilievre government will launch a lawsuit against Big Pharma and their consultants to cover the costs of the opioid crisis to border security, courts, the criminal justice system, indigenous programs, lost federal tax revenue, and expanded treatment programs. .It said the total amount claimed for the lawsuits will be $44 billion. This includes the costs of the federal share of estimated healthcare costs ($3.9 billion), federal money spent on the opioid crisis ($3 billion), criminal justice system costs ($10.2 billion), and lost tax revenue ($27 billion). .Money recovered from the lawsuit will fund treatment and recovery programs for people struggling with addiction. .“We will turn hurt into hope, and we will bring home justice for all Canadians,” he said.
