Head Office B553 1081 Burrard Street Vancouver BC V6Z 1Y6

June 6th 2013 Dear Minister Aglukkaq RE: Bill C-65 The Canadian Association of Nurses in AIDS (CANAC) care is the national nursing association for nursing professionals in HIV/AIDS care, with a broad, national membership. We are writing to express our concern regarding the release of Bill C-65, An act to amend the controlled drugs and substances act (Respect for Communities act). It is the position of CANAC that supervised consumption programs are an important and evidence based harm reduction strategy, that have demonstrated the reduction in the transmission of HIV, Hepatitis C and the reduction in overdose deaths. Reducing harm to the public is part of a comprehensive approach to disease prevention, health promotion and the well being of all Canadians. CANAC is therefore deeply concerned by the onerous conditions that Bill C-65 places on health providers wishing to operate a supervised consumption facility. The onus now falls completely on the applicant to demonstrate stakeholder, government and community consultations, at the same time that the Federal Conservative Party is operating a negative campaign Keep Heroin Out of Our Backyards. The fact that heroin is currently in everyones back yard appears lost on your political party and the purpose of supervised consumption sites is to remove drug use from the streets of our communities, and enable users to access primary health care, clean needles, supervision from trained health professionals and re-engagement in treatment for addictions. Canada requires a comprehensive national drug strategy, that includes all aspects of care from abstinence based programs through to the provision of clinical injectable diacetylmorphine for the small cohort of chronic substance users for whom alternatives have failed. Canada has the opportunity to lead the world in the fight against HIV through our comprehensive Seek and Treat programs, but Bill C-65 intentionally undermines this work and demonstrates a mind set that being Tough on Drugs means being tough on the people who have become addicted for a multitude of social reasons. Addiction is an illness, not an ideology. CANAC implores the Federal Government to remove the unnecessary burden of multiple conditions and to clarify what broad community support entails. Health care must be based on evidence and science and not the opinions of community members who have little or no experience of supervised

Head Office B553 1081 Burrard Street Vancouver BC V6Z 1Y6

consumption or addictions, yet are exposed to the stigmatizing and hateful message your partys current campaign is promoting.

Yours sincerely

Scott Harrison RN BScN MA President, CANAC/ACIIS