The British Columbia premier says he disagrees with the province's top doctor's comments legalization Illegal drugs.
The comments come after provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry testified before federal parliament's standing committee on health on May 30.
The committee has been hearing from experts on Canada's drug crisis since last year and has heard from dozens of people so far.
Last Thursday, Henry was questioned by fellow doctor Stephen Ellis, the Conservative MP for Cumberland-Colchester, about her stance on legalising drugs.
“I support legalizing and regulating drugs to minimize harm,” Henry responded.
“I think what got us into the situation we're in is prohibition, and we've seen that over time in a lot of different contexts with alcohol prohibition, marijuana prohibition, and I think legalization and regulation can minimize the harm.”
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Henry's office confirmed Thursday that the statement reflects her position and is not new.
A spokesman confirmed that Henry believed legalising and regulating illegal drugs was a necessary option to give drug users peace of mind and keep them alive.
Henry's stance was met with swift political reaction, including from New British Columbia Conservative MP Elenore Sturko called for the province's health officer to be fired.
“The Conservatives in British Columbia are absolutely against the legalization of drugs in British Columbia, we will not legalize drugs in British Columbia. I think it's not surprising to hear Dr. Henry say that she supports the legalization of drugs in British Columbia because she has said that before,” said Sturko.
However, British Columbia Premier David Eby appears to agree with his Conservative opponents on this particular issue.
“We're not going in that direction, we're not going to do that. I'm very clear about that,” Eby said.
The statement represents an evolution of the positions Eby took before entering politics.
In 2009, when Eby was executive director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, he wrote that the organization favored the legalization and regulation of all illegal drugs.
Even though Eby's changed stance has put him at odds with provincial health officials, he said Henry still has confidence in him.
“What I really want to emphasize is that Bonnie Henry and I agree on 90 percent of the issues, but there are some issues where we disagree, and that’s OK,” Eby said.
“She gives the government her best advice as a public health official, but the government has the right to decide what measures to implement, and I have great confidence in her and her work, we just disagree on this point.”
The BC Coroners Service said Thursday that 182 people died from toxic drugs in Aprila decrease of 24% from the same period last year and a decrease from 192 in March this year.
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