Rally in opposition to Bill No. 103 "whose primary purpose is to regulate supervised consumption sites in order to promote harmonious coexistence with the community" Français
While they talk, we die
On May 6, 2025, Lionel Carmant, Health and Social Services Minister, introduced Bill 103. Since then, many groups have expressed their opposition to a bill that unnecessarily increases the administrative burden on organizations working in harm reduction and homelessness. Again, elected officials have chosen to talk about us, without us. Even though supervised consumption services have proven to be effective in the fight against the overdose crisis, the minister is proposing a legislative framework without any consultation, thereby jeopardizing human lives and the fragile social safety net that supports them.
Bill 103 also shifts responsibility for "social co-existence" to organizations, while reinforcing the stigma of people who use drugs and those who are homeless. It reflects a chronic mistrust of community expertise and challenges its autonomy. It is time for the voices of those most affected to be heard, because it is they—we—who die when the government complicates access to services.
Time is running out to destigmatize
History has shown that prohibition drives people to use in isolation, which increases the risks. Too often, supervised consumption sites are the only safe spaces available. By compromising their operations, Bill 103 threatens to force many of them out of business, putting lives at risk. We are calling for the complete abandonment of this bill and a clear shift toward the decriminalization of drugs.
There is an urgent need to invest heavily in affordable housing accessible to everyone and in harm reduction services, and to ensure the full inclusion of people who use drugs in the development of policies that affect them.
"The perception persists that repressive approaches will overcome drug consumption or drug use. It is time to change the paradigm and come up with more appropriate solutions. "
-Mario Gagnon, Chief Executive Officer of Point de Repères, at a citizens' meeting organized by L'Engrenage Saint-Roch: https://monsaintroch.com/2023/demystifier-le-monde-des-drogues/.
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