RICHMOND: Pierre Poilievre has vowed to give judges the ability to order addicts guilty of possession and non-violent offences into court-mandated treatment as an alternative to prison.
He emphasized that under a Conservative government, possession of illegal drugs would "remain a crime."
"When someone is too sick to choose help, we won't leave them without hope," Poilievre said during a press conference on Saturday. "We'll help them take back control of their lives."
The Conservative leader made it clear that the alternative would only be available to those whose only crimes were possession for personal use and other non-violent offences, and that more serious offenders would still be sent to prison. He added, however, that treatment would be made available to the incarcerated, and judges would be given the option to require it as a condition "for ever getting released."
"This policy is not about punishment," Poilievre added. "It's about redemption. It's about getting people off the streets, and out of addiction, back into a society where they can live rich, fulfilling lives."
He argued that allowing court-mandated treatment for addicts does not contradict his pro-individual freedom stance on other issues, explaining that "when you’re addicted to fentanyl … there’s literally no free will left."
"It is impossible to make that decision on yourself in these moments," he said. "That's why it's appropriate for the law to come in, take that person, put them in a treatment program, and let them have ... hope."
Poilievre warned that if the Liberals are elected to a fourth term, Mark Carney will take the party's drug policy "even further" than Justin Trudeau.
"The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result," he added, urging Canadians to select "change."
"There's nothing compassionate about handing out dangerous drugs and walking away while people who do not have the ability to say no to poison overdose and die," he added.
