LIBERALS PUSH SAFE-INJECTION SITES

Liberal Senator Larry Campbell blasted Conservative leader Stephen
Harper's stand on the safe-injection sites.

"There's a clear difference between the two parties, especially after
Harper said 'no' to money to fight the drug problem," Campbell said
during a swing to the West Shore to support incumbent Liberal MP
Keith Martin. "Harper's attitude is it's a criminal offence, they're
bad people and should be put in jail."

Campbell, the former mayor of Vancouver and a driving force behind
Vancouver's safe injection site, said the facility has reduced the
risk of disease spread by the estimated 3,000 addicts who live there.
Campbell pointed out that there are now 600 injections a day taking
place in a safer environment.

"There's been 100 overdoses at the site, and no one's died," he said.
"The Canadian view is that nothing's more important than life - if it
saves one life it's worth it."

Martin said that he's been working on a harm-reduction plan with
Victoria's chief medical officer Dr. Richard Stanwick.

"One of the reasons that I left the Conservatives was because they
would kill initiatives of that nature," Martin said.

When asked about safe-injection sites at an all-candidates meeting a
night earlier, Conservative candidate Troy DeSouza expressed opposition.

"I'm not convinced that's the way to go," DeSouza said, adding that
"it's far too early" to say if the one in Vancouver has been
successful. Green Party candidate Mike Robinson agrees with
harm-reduction strategies such as safe-injection sites, but considers
them a Band-Aid solution, at best a temporary fix.

"Until we deal with the social and poverty issues, we're attacking
the symptom but not the root cause," said Robinson, who would push
for more youth leadership initiatives and education.

NDP candidate Randall Garrison openly supports safe-injection sites.

"It's absolute madness to oppose safe-injection sites," he said.

"We all pay the costs in illness without them," he added, pointing
out the additional burden to health care from treating addiction
could be lessened by dealing with the cause rather than the result.