OTTAWA – Canada’s opioid epidemic will be front and centre today in Ottawa, where politicians will meet with members of the medical community with the common goal of curbing drug addiction and saving lives.
The two-day summit meeting is being co-chaired by federal Health Minister Jane Philpott and Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins, both of whom are doctors themselves.
READ MORE: Saskatchewan has highest rates of opioid poisoning in Canada: report
Hoskins says the summit will reinforce the need for leadership right across the country to confront Canada’s opioid epidemic.
He says the problem is affecting different parts of Canada in different ways, but it demands a national solution.
READ MORE: Canada’s surging opioid crisis: ‘hodgepodge’ overdose tracking leaves true magnitude unknown
Philpott says the federal Liberal government has been very active on the file, adding that Canadians are dying everyday due to opioid use and abuse.
She says she has made it “very clear” she is unhappy with a lack of data and surveillance programs that could shed light on how many opioids are prescribed, where they are coming from and how many people are overdosing and dying.
VIDEO: Premier Christy Clark is in Ottawa today, seeking the federal government’s support dealing with British Columbia’s overdose crisis.
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