Issue

Drug Policy & Harm Reduction

Federal drug policy operates under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA), the Criminal Code, and the Cannabis Act (Bill C-45 of 42-1, royal assent June 2018). Active 2024-2025 files: the British Columbia three-year decriminalization pilot (federal exemption under section 56.1 of the CDSA, granted January 31, 2023; scaled back in May 2024 after public-consumption concerns, then formally discontinued by BC NDP Bill 21 in 2025), Bill C-216 of 44-1 (Health-Based Approach to Substance Use Act, NDP PMB that decriminalized simple possession), Bill C-272 of 45-1 (supervised drug consumption sites), and Bill C-394 of 44-1 (Conservative CDSA penalty increases for fentanyl). Federal-provincial response to the toxic-drug crisis: Statistics Canada reported over 22,000 opioid-toxicity deaths between January 2016 and June 2024. Safer-supply programs operate under provincial-medical-college authority with federal funding via Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program.

Where parties stand

Compare side-by-side

Bloc QuébécoisBLOC
The Bloc Quebecois supports Quebec's harm-reduction-oriented drug policy framework, including the network of approximately 12 supervised consumption sites (mainly in Montreal and Quebec City), the prescribed-safer-supply pilots, and the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services Public Health Strategy on addictions. Demands federal funding for harm reduction flow as unconditional transfer to Quebec, opposes the Smith UCP Alberta-style recovery-only framework, and supports the continued federal exemption under section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (S.C. 1996, c. 19) for supervised consumption sites in Quebec.
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Conservative Party of CanadaCONSERVATIVE
The federal Conservative Party under Pierre Poilievre opposes the BC decriminalization pilot (originally a three-year exemption under section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act starting January 31, 2023; restricted to private homes in May 2024 by BC), calls for federal funding for residential addiction-treatment programs over harm-reduction-only frameworks (Pierre Poilievre's 2023 commitment to fund 50,000 treatment-program spots), opposes the prescribed-safer-supply expansion, and supports stronger federal-Border-Services enforcement against fentanyl trafficking at the Canada-US border (RCMP reported a 33-percent year-over-year increase in fentanyl seized at Canadian land borders in 2023).
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Green Party of CanadaGREEN
The federal Green Party supports full decriminalization of personal-use possession of all currently controlled substances under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (S.C. 1996, c. 19, currently illegal except for BC's January 2023-onward pilot exemption under section 56), expansion of supervised-consumption-site networks (currently approximately 40 federally exempted sites across Canada under section 56 CDSA), regulated safer-supply programs to address the toxic-drug crisis (Canada saw approximately 8,500 opioid-toxicity deaths in 2024 per PHAC), and a federal commitment to evidence-based harm reduction over recovery-only frameworks. Opposes Smith UCP's 2024 dismantling of Alberta's prescribed-safer-supply program.
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Liberal Party of CanadaLIBERAL
The federal Liberal Party under Mark Carney granted BC the three-year decriminalization-pilot exemption under section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (S.C. 1996, c. 19) starting January 31, 2023 (restricted to private homes in May 2024 by joint federal-BC announcement), supports the operation of approximately 40 supervised consumption sites across Canada under section 56 CDSA exemptions, refused to extend a similar exemption to Toronto's request (announced August 2023, federal refusal in 2024), supports the federal $359-million Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) for harm reduction and treatment, and committed to the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy framework.
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New Democratic PartyNDP
The federal NDP under Jagmeet Singh supports full decriminalization of personal-use possession of all currently controlled substances under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (S.C. 1996, c. 19), expansion of supervised-consumption sites and prescribed-safer-supply programs (Canada saw 47,162 apparent opioid-toxicity deaths between January 2016 and June 2024 per Public Health Agency of Canada), federal funding for harm-reduction infrastructure, opposes the Smith UCP Alberta's 2024 dismantling of Alberta's prescribed-safer-supply program, and supports the federal section 56 exemption framework under the CDSA for BC's January 2023-onward decriminalization pilot extending to 2026.
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Drug Policy & Harm Reduction

Where parties stand

Bills affecting this issue

Public Health Statutes (Drug Decriminalization Pilot Extension) Amendment Act

Health Statutes (Drug Decriminalization Discontinuance) Amendment Act

Public Safety Modernization Act

An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (supervised drug consumption sites)

An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (importing, exporting and producing certain substances)

An Act respecting the development of a national strategy for the decriminalization of illegal substances, to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts

An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (addiction treatment in penitentiaries)

An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to enact the Expungement of Certain Drug-related Convictions Act and the National Strategy on Substance Use Act

An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act

Cannabis Act (42-1)