OTTAWA IGNORES SUPPORT FOR INJECTION SITES

Harper Government Froze New Sites Even Though Own Poll Showed Backing For Them

OTTAWA -- The Harper government went against advice contained in its
own internal opinion polling when it put a freeze on the creation of
any new drug-injection sites for hard-core addicts, CanWest News
Service has learned.

Just days before Health Minister Tony Clement's Sept. 1 announcement
that the government would stop, for an indefinite period of time,
considering applications to open injection sites modelled on the
existing one in Vancouver, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's top
bureaucratic advisers received a poll they had commissioned showing
six in 10 Canadians support the program.

In fact, the survey revealed that a clear majority -- 56 per cent
versus 38 per cent -- want the government to create more injection
sites that allow addicts to receive drugs with clean needles under
the care of medical professionals. In British Columbia, home to the
country's only safe-injection program, support for additional
programs stood at 64 per cent.

The survey of 1,407 Canadians was completed by Decima Research Aug.
21 for the Privy Council Office. It is considered accurate to within
2.4 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

The country was split on the best way to treat drug addiction, with
45 per cent of Canadians saying that "enforcing the law and punishing
drug users" was the best way to proceed and 52 per cent opposed the
law-and-order approach. And seven in 10 also said Ottawa should
emphasize prevention, enforcement and treatment, rather than make it
safer to use drugs.

However, 56 per cent said safe-injection programs are "a step
forward," while 38 per cent said they are a step backward.

"The interesting thing is that the public is ahead of the government,
as they most always are," said Liberal Senator Larry Campbell, a
former Vancouver mayor and an advocate of safe-injection sites.

"I really hope the government looks and listens to it. This isn't
about being stupid or doing anything out of the ordinary. It's simply
health care -- nothing more, nothing less."

The government announced that it would not grant licences to open new
injections sites in other cities such as Victoria and Toronto on the
same day that it announced it was putting off until the end of 2007 a
decision on whether to extend the Vancouver injection site by
three-and-a-half years.

Clement said in a news release there was insufficient evidence the
program reduces drug use and fights addiction. He added that
additional studies are needed on how injection sites affect crime,
prevention and treatment.

"Right now, the only thing the research to date has proven
conclusively is drug addicts need more help to get off drugs,"
Clement said at the time.

Vancouver New Democrat MP Libby Davies said there is "not a shadow of
a doubt" in her mind that the Conservative government was determined
to shut down the downtown injection site. She speculated that the
results of this poll, in addition to an organized campaign by
advocates of the program, combined to scupper that plan.

"This is contrary to their whole agenda on drugs. They want to
promote a law-and-order agenda. They want to toughen criminal
sanctions against drug users," Davies said.

Campbell said he believes the delay was politically motivated, and
that the Conservatives do not want to make tough decisions that could
be held against them when their minority government is defeated and
the country is pushed back into an election campaign. "My hope," he
said, "is that 16 months from now we won't have to worry about Harper."

Erik Waddell, a spokesman for Clement, said the government is working
on a new drug strategy that will put "greater emphasis on programs
that reduce drug and alcohol abuse."