HOUSE OF COMMONS CANADA POLICY FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM: WORKING TOGETHER TO REDEFINE CANADA’S DRUG STRATEGY REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON NON-MEDICAL USE OF DRUGS Paddy Torsney, M.P. Chair December 2002 6476_english page iii 12/4/02 22:16 Page 1 SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON NON-MEDICAL USE OF DRUGS CHAIR Paddy Torsney Liberal Burlington, Ontario VICE-CHAIRS Carole-Marie Allard Randy White Liberal Canadian Alliance Laval East, Quebec Langley—Abbottsford, British Columbia MEMBERS Bernard Bigras Libby Davies Hon. Hedy Fry Bloc Québécois New Democratic Party Liberal Rosemont—Petite-Patrie, Quebec Vancouver East, British Columbia Vancouver Centre, British Columbia Mac Harb Dominic LeBlanc Derek Lee Liberal Liberal Liberal Ottawa Centre, Ontario Beausejour—Petitcodiac, Scarborough—Rouge River, Ontario New Brunswick Réal Ménard Jacques Saada Kevin Sorenson Greg Thompson Bloc Québécois Liberal Canadian Alliance Progressive Conservative Hochelaga—Maisonneuve, Quebec Brossard—La Prairie, Quebec Crowfoot, Alberta New Brunswick Southwest, New Brunswick CLERK OF THE COMMITTEE Carol Chafe FROM THE RESEARCH BRANCH OF THE LIBRARY OF PARLIAMENT Chantal Collin Marilyn Pilon iii CHAIR’S FOREWORD For too long Canadians have ignored the issue of substance use and its impact on our community. Over the past 18 months members of this special committee have been seized with this issue. On May 17, 2001, the House of Commons created the Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs based on a motion brought forward by Randy White, M.P. (Langley—Abbottsford) and gave it a very broad mandate to study “the factors underlying or relating to the non-medical use of drugs in Canada” and to bring forward recommendations aimed at reducing “the dimensions of the problem involved in such use.” A study of this complexity can only be completed with the collaboration of a great many capable, dedicated and concerned Canadians. These individuals and organizations shared with us their passion, experience and expertise in the field of addictions and dependencies with legal and illegal drugs. On behalf of the members of the Special Committee, thank you to all of you who appeared before us or who provided us with your written submissions. Your contributions provided us with a better understanding of the depth and breadth of the problems faced by many Canadians on a daily basis and the impact on Canada’s economy, our social safety network and most importantly on our families and communities. To all those individuals who shared their personal struggles with us and allowed us to visit them in treatment centres, thank you. By opening up to total strangers and sharing your experiences, you helped us immeasurably. Each of us wishes you the very best on your journey. A special note of thanks to our wonderful team. This special committee was blessed with excellence and dedication. The research team, composed of Marilyn Pilon and Chantal Collin, contributed their considerable expertise and writing skills to draft this report. It was no easy feat and your countless hours and weekends were very much appreciated. Congratulations to our committee clerk, Carol Chafe, your efficiency in ensuring that our work was conducted in a productive manner despite short and evolving time lines and competing schedules was remarkable. We are very grateful for the assistance and support provided by the Committee’s Administrative Officer, Lise Tierney and Administrative Assistant, Melissa Mastroguiseppe. Thank you. All along, this special committee benefited from the invaluable assistance of the interpretation team, the editors, translators, console operators and others. We were under great stress, their dedication and hard work was much appreciated. The staff of the Publications Service, without whom this report would not have been possible, is very much appreciated as well. Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues, the members of this special committee from all parties who worked so diligently on this report while attending to the work of other important committees as well as their parliamentary responsibilities. This committee was v like no other. There were many obstacles in our path but we hurdled them, with humour and goodwill. This report reflects that team effort and, by and large, our non-partisan approach to the difficult issues we encountered. We all look forward to the Government’s action in response to this report. For the sake of all Canadians urgent and continued action is needed now. Paddy Torsney, M.P. Chair vi THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON NON-MEDICAL USE OF DRUGS has the honour to present its FINAL REPORT Pursuant to the Orders of Reference from the House of Commons of May 17, 2001, April 17, 2002, October 7, 2002 and November 19, 2002, your Committee has examined the factors underlying and relating to the non-medical use of drugs and offers the following observations and recommendations with respect to the ways and means by which the government can act, alone or in its relations with governments at other levels, in the reduction of the dimensions of the problems involved in such use. vii Committees Directorate 2nd Session — 37th Parliament ORDER OF REFERENCE Extract from the Journals of the House of Commons Monday, October 7, 2002 The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Boudria (Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons), seconded by Mr. Pagtakhan (Minister of Veterans Affairs), — That, in order to provide for the resumption and continuation of the business of the House begun in the previous Session of Parliament it is ordered: 1. That any evidence adduced by any Standing or Special Committee on any matter not reported upon in the previous Session shall be deemed to have been laid upon the Table in the present Session; 2. That during the first thirty sitting days of the present Session of Parliament, whenever a Minister of the Crown, when proposing a motion for first reading of a public bill, states that the said bill is in the same form as a bill introduced by a Minister of the Crown in the previous Session, if the Speaker is satisfied that the said bill is in the same form as at prorogation, notwithstanding Standing Order 71, the said bill shall be deemed in the current Session to have been considered and approved at all stages completed at the time of prorogation of the previous Session; (Government Business No. 2A) And of the amendment of Mr. Hill (Macleod), seconded by Mrs. Skelton (Saskatoon— Rosetown—Biggar), — That motion No. 2A be amended by adding after the words “prorogation of the previous session” the following: “provided that Bills C-15B and C-5, introduced in the previous session, be excluded from this process.”. ix The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Boudria (Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons), seconded by Mr. Pagtakhan (Minister of Veterans Affairs), — That, in order to provide for the resumption and continuation of the business of the House begun in the previous Session of Parliament it is ordered: That a special committee of the House be appointed to consider the factors underlying or relating to the non-medical use of drugs in Canada and make recommendations with respect to the ways and means by which the government can act, alone or in its relations with governments at other levels, in the reduction of the dimensions of the problems involved in such use; That the membership of the committee be the same as the membership of the Special Committee on the Non-Medical Use of Drugs at the time of prorogation of the First Session of the present Parliament, provided that substitutions may be made from time to time, if required, in the manner provided for in Standing Order 114 (2); That the committee shall have all of the powers granted to Standing Committees in Standing Order 108; and That the committee shall present its final report no later than November 22, 2002. (Government Business No. 2B) The debate continued on the motions. The question was put on Government Business No. 2B and it was agreed to on division. ATTEST WILLIAM C. CORBETT Clerk of the House x Committees Directorate 1st Session — 37th Parliament ORDER OF REFERENCE Extract from the Journals of the House of Commons Wednesday, April 17, 2002 Pursuant to Standing Order 93, the House proceeded to the putting of the question on the motion, as amended, of Mr. Martin (Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca), seconded by Mr. Gouk (Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan),—That Bill C-344, An Act to amend the Contraventions Act and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (marihuana), be not now read a second time but that the Order be discharged, the Bill withdrawn, and the subject-matter thereof referred to the Special Committee on non-medical use of drugs. The question was put on the motion, as amended, and it was agreed to on the following division: ATTEST WILLIAM C. CORBETT Clerk of the House xi Committees and Parliamentary Associations Directorate 1st Session — 37th Parliament ORDER OF REFERENCE Extract from the Journals of the House of Commons Thursday, May 17, 2001 The Order was read for the consideration of the Business of Supply. Mr. White (Langley—Abbotsford), seconded by Mr. Benoit (Lakeland), moved,—That a special committee of the House be appointed to consider the factors underlying or relating to the non-medical use of drugs in Canada and make recommendations with respect to the ways or means by which the government can act, alone or in its relations with governments at other levels, in the reduction of the dimensions of the problem involved in such use; That the membership of the committee be established by the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs; That the Standing Committee report the membership of the special committee to the House within five sitting days after the adoption of this motion; That substitutions may be made from time to time, if required, in the manner provided for in Standing Order 114(2); That the committee shall have all of the powers granted to Standing Committees in Standing Order 108; and That the committee shall present its final report no later that June 1, 2002.