Conservative Party leader Pierre Polivre says he will file a $44 billion lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies to explain their role in the opioid epidemic if he is elected prime minister.
He said Tuesday that the Poyrivre government will join as a plaintiff in an existing class action lawsuit filed by the province of British Columbia, seeking an additional $4 billion in damages to the federal health care system and “will pursue another federal lawsuit.” rice field. Non-medical costs such as border security, prisons, and indigenous programming.”
“A total of about $44 billion to $45 billion is what big pharmaceutical companies owe federal taxpayers, and we’re going to use that money for recovery and treatment,” Poilievre said.
In 2018, BC filed a lawsuit on behalf of Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments to recover costs “resulting from the misconduct of opioid manufacturers, distributors and their consultants,” according to the province. filed a class action lawsuit.
The company has named Purdue Canada, part of US pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma, as one of more than 40 manufacturers and distributors in the class action lawsuit.
In June 2022, BC settled with Canada’s Purdue for $150 million, and the provincial government plans to “progress aggressively until all remaining defendants are held accountable.”
Poilievre told reporters on Tuesday that if elected, he would not only sign BC’s class action lawsuit, but also start one at the federal level.
“Those who profited from this misery should pay their bills,” he said, standing in front of dozens at The Last Door, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Vancouver.
“These powerful multinationals knew exactly what they were doing, but they continued to do it anyway to benefit themselves and their wealthy management teams.
Citing the number of opioid-related deaths and hospitalizations in Canada, the Conservative Party leader said that “the NDP-liberal approach to solving the problem has failed” and that the rise of drugs in Canada and He blamed the current government for the addition.
He also echoed a message from a visit to British Columbia last November, in which he said in a video at the time that “everything feels like it’s broken” under Trudeau Liberal, adding that the “massive” increase It said we should stop funding monitored consumption sites because it connects. With overdose and crime.
At the time, Carolyn Bennett, Minister for Mental Health and Addiction, called Polivre’s comments “irresponsible” and “misguided” and “irresponsible populist nonsense”.
“The evidence for this is clear. Secure supplies save lives. We can’t afford to go back to harmful and unscientific ideologies at the cost of people’s lives,” she tweeted in November.
Poilievre said at the time that the monitored consumption site’s funds should be spent on border security and that a tougher stance should be taken against repeat offenders “who prey on addicts,” but on Tuesday , he said those sites’ funds should be redirected to recovery and recovery. treatment program.
