View From the Legislature

It is hard not to be overwhelmed by the news these days and the almost singular focus it has on the COVID-19 pandemic. And, as I have written in this space before, just as there can be a downside in having too little information, there can be a downside in being overwhelmed with information as well. But another challenge that occurs in times like these when a story dominates the news for a long period of time is that other important stories or issues have a difficult time getting attention.

At the end of August, the annual day concerning overdose awareness was marked in Manitoba. Drug abuse has long been a problem in society in general, but the nature of that abuse has changed over time. While alcohol is still the number one substance to which addiction is reported in Manitoba, increasingly we are seeing the impact of other deadly drugs. Over the past many years, we saw the increased availability of methamphetamine as it became a cheap and deadly street drug in Manitoba. Throughout North America, the increased availability of opioid-related drugs led to a dramatic increase in overdose deaths in many parts of Canada.

And while much of the attention is of course now on the COVID-19 pandemic, it does not mean that these other challenges have gone away. Individuals and their families continue to struggle with addiction and the consequences that come as a result. While there have been many steps taken to increase the availability of support for those dealing with addiction, from the increased accessibility of Naloxone to reverse overdoses of opioids, to more support services in hospitals and schools, there is no question pressures on these resources continue to mount.

Overdose Awareness Day, which occurred on August 31, put the spotlight not only on those who have lost their lives to addiction, but on their families as well. So many families have been touched by addiction and the life-long impact that it leaves behind. And for many of these families who have lost someone close to them, it begins a journey of advocacy that is intended to bring good out of tragedy and to help someone else who is struggling. During my time as Minister of Health in Manitoba, I had the opportunity to meet with many of these families. These were always emotional meetings, but they left me with an incredible appreciation of the desire of these families to make the best of the tragedy that they had suffered.

Even though much of the news is understandably focused on the global pandemic, beneath that are individual struggles related to many other things. Overdose Awareness Day shone a light on one of these struggles but we collectively have to do our best to remember that there are many challenges that are not to be forgotten during this time.