What the heck got into Rick Wilson last week?
Last Tuesday, Alberta’s minister of mental health and addiction, was responding to a question in the Legislature about an allegation of a lack of transparency at the provincial government’s so-called Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence in the context of the United Conservative Party’s policy of aggressively shutting down supervised drug consumption sites.
Perhaps smarting from sharp tone of his questioner, Opposition NDP Mental Health and Addictions Critic Janet Eremenko, who had suggested the Crown corporation’s “so-called research is the latest in a slew of torqued reports the UCP has trotted out to justify bad policy,” Mr. Wilson’s riposte took a weird turn.
“Mr. Speaker, I would welcome anybody to come with me to a supervised drug consumption site,” he said. “I was just there the beginning of the week. I’m still having nightmares about this. We’re not helping people there. We are not helping people. …”
“These people that are in there: I’ve actually seen them collapse and die right in front of me. These places are not helping people.” (Emphasis added.)
But as Ms. Eremenko quickly responded, “nobody has ever died in an Alberta supervised consumption service.” And as Friends of Medicare Director Chris Gallaway explained in a news release on the weekend, “no one had ever died in a supervised consumption site in Canada.”
So what’s with this outburst by Mr. Wilson, who has always seemed like one of the more grounded ministers in Premier Danielle Smith’s cabinet of ideological curiosities?
Did he just misspeak himself? In which case a simple apology would seem appropriate. Sooner or later, it happens to us all.
Or has he drunk so much of the UCP ideological Kool-Aid that he’s started to imagine things that didn’t happen?
Or did someone actually die in front of him? In which case, what happened and where’s the police report?
Said Mr. Gallaway: “It is beyond irresponsible to mislead the public with statements like this. He needs to apologize immediately or the premier needs to boot him from cabinet.” Well, good luck getting that to happen.
But as Mr. Gallaway pointed out, decades of legitimate research shows supervised consumption sites save lives and save health care money – even if that may be inconvenient for the UCP given its ideology, the province’s politics, and the influential abstinence-only treatment lobby now embedded deeply in the Smith Government.
“Unfortunately, playing fast and loose with the facts is a pattern of behavior with this government when it comes to their so-called Alberta Recovery Model,” Mr. Gallaway said. “The government has consistently delayed or withheld data when justifying their decisions, going so far as to set up CORE, a government-controlled crown corporation specifically designed to churn out reports that support their agenda.”
Readers will recall that back in 2024, when the Smith Government established CORE, it described its purpose as being “to inform best practices in mental health and addiction, conduct research and program evaluation and support the development of evidence-based policies for mental health and addiction.”
But as we also knew at the time, CORE CEO Kym Kaufmann had already said that the corporation “will help the Government advance the Alberta Recovery Model.” As I observed in April that year, when legislation to create the body was introduced, CORE’s motto probably should be: “Best practices if ideologically acceptable, but not necessarily best practices.”
And, yes, this happened the same day that another member of the province’s Gang of Four health ministers, Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Matt Jones, responded to another Opposition question by revealing that the UCP Government is “looking at developing a voucher program where patients who have waited longer than clinically recommended can go to any approved or accredited provider in Alberta and get that surgery.”
Update: ‘Christian Summit’ panned by more than 100 Alberta faith leaders
Nearly 130 faith leaders, representing multiple Christian denominations and faith traditions across Alberta, have signed a “statement of conviction” stating that what’s billed as the Premier’s Annual Christian Summit in Red Deer next week “does not reflect the breadth of faith in this province.”
Well, that sort of goes without saying. A list of the faith leaders who signed and their statement can be found at AffirmingConnections.com.
This is unlikely to discourage our agnostic premier from breaking bread at this pay-to-pray event with her ideological disciples.
Nobody in Canada has died at a safe consumption site. That’s impossible, because the emphasis is on safe. These facilities were put in place because of overdoses by users in other places, and because of used needles being strewn about. Staff are there to ensure the clients are safe, and they can also get referred to a recovery program. Forced addictions treatment has the worst possible rate of success. That’s what the UCP and Danielle Smith are pushing. As for following the gospel, the UCP and Danielle Smith fall short on that. These other faith leaders are right to denounce what the UCP are doing. Helping the poor, showing compassion, and so on, are not what the UCP are known for. Pay to pray. Where in the Bible did that ever happen?
@Anonymous:
You’re absolutely correct in your assessment. As someone who worked in the field, the most succinct and hard-hitting statement I used to get through to those stuck in the abstinence model (“I/Grandpa/Sister/etc did it therefore everyone must do it) was this:
“My first job is to keep people alive. Dead people don’t change.”
For anyone who actually cares and has done the research, abstinence models have a less than 10% success rate and it’s less than 5% for those that do not provide years of follow through on relapse management. Other methods such as Smart Habit, methadone tapering and harm reduction models have far higher rates of success. In other words, those that do manage to white knuckle their way and fake it until they make it are the exceptions, not the norm.
The most dangerous drugs to detox from are both legal–alcohol and benzodiazapams. Both require serious medical intervention due to the risk of seizures. The suicide risk from those coming off crack/cocaine/meth/ecstasy due to chemically-induced depression is real.
Dr. Phil’s confrontational style methods and dragging kids off to boot camps are some of the most dangerous techniques out there.
The thirteenth step is a real danger as well.
Another truth. “Drug use isn’t a moral issue or a legal issue. It’s a health issue.”
It takes compassion and knowledge to work successfully with active drug users, many of whom are suffering mental health and economic struggles as well. Front-line workers don’t get near enough support and burnout is frequent.
Disdain and regressive moral policing are not effective strategies.
There is no effective “treatment” method. Fifty years ago a Harvard study indicated that people left to their own devices had better outcomes than those in Alcoholics Anonymous and those being “treated” by a physician. Drug abuse is a complex human behaviour and there is no simple solution for the negative consequences of that behaviour. There are moral, legal and health aspects to the phenomenon.
Hallelujah, Smith is leading her Christian soldiers in another rousing event in Red Deer. She lies about everything, even her “faith”. Albertans lap it up just like the hapless U.S. Republicans, they want more of us to become. The Bonnyville faithful will be there, preaching and ripping apart the fabric of a great nation Mr. Carney is building despite them.
To think that one can force a drug addicted human into sobriety is insane. Most twelve step programs come with a healthy does of faith beliefs and many people who undertake step programs become spiritual; do not necessarily follow organized religion. Still, the whole thing is about “cleaning house” and starting all over again and you had better put your faith into such an undertaking because people can be problematic so the success rate is about 2% according to The Orange Papers. Nevertheless, the UCP brain trust has decided to force people to change their ways, undoubtedly turning their lives over to the big sky daddy, which is spurious at the very least. Where’s Christopher Hitchens when you need him? Oh, right, like George Carlin, Hitchens’ voice sounded off against organized religion, but now Carlin and Hitchens are silenced through death. Religious people do not like death which is why they believe that they are going to heaven, if they follow the teaching of their religious group. Utter madness.
In this technologically advanced and advancing society, religion as an answer is archaic and useless, save to bring power to ideology weaponizing religion to meet the need of the over zealous religious fanatics. Elizabeth Kolbert captured the insanity that currently exists by explaining that as the Earth continues to warm and life gets messy for millions of people, humanity will enter a phase of madness. We are living in that madness now. We are at an existential tipping point and all Smith and her buddy Trump can do is fan the flames of fantasy with a healthy dose of psychosis.
“These people that are in there: I’ve actually seen them collapse and die right in front of me. These places are not helping people.”
So he stood there and watched them die? Didn’t call 911 for an ambulance and wait for them to arrive? Grab a jab of Narcon and bang it into the victim/s? Yell for help to the nearby nurses inside the site? Do CPR until help got there while telling any bystanders to call for help if he wasn’t near a safe site?
Organize and advocate an avenue for safe supply so the dosages are controllable and not random?
{{{insert pearl-clutching-drama-queen-fainting-meme-here}}}
Thus proving politicians have zero usable skillsets, less compassion and think because they, or their well-off family solved a problem through “grit and determination”, everyone else has the same resources and opportunities.
I have a vague recollection of Jason Kenney, or someone in his cabinet, actually acknowledging that supervised consumption sites saved lives. The acknowledgment was made as part of an announcement that the UCP was setting up a committee to study the effect supervised consumption sites have on the neighbourhood they are located in.
With regards to Mr. Wilson’s apparent adoption of the UCP’s concept of ‘truth’, it makes me wonder how often he has told the same story when speaking one to one with constituents, and if it is so often he just fell back on the story out of habit.
Bob: That hadn’t occurred to me. That may in fact meet the test of Occam’s razor. DJC
I guess the poor folk in rehab never received their vouchers. Ergo, they will not receive the UCP Miracle Cure (patent pending) and must quickly walk to Red Deer with a cross affixed to their shoulders. Verily.
@YYConfused,
Why worship a homeless guy on Sunday when you can kick him in the face on Monday?
David, it is so sad to see more and more of the UPC lie through their teeth, to protect their warped agenda. Also the hypocrite, named Danielle Smith and her Christian Summit is a publicity stunt, right out of Trump’s play book. You watch, there will be a picture of her surrounded by so called religious leaders, laying their hands on her in prayer. Where’s my bucket!!? I think I’m going to be sick.
Sorry. As a side note, my car insurance renewal came in the mail today. My insurance company explained to me, that according to the UPC government, I am an excellent driver, with no tickets, or accidents and I was awarded a $73 increase per month, for my one and only 2016 truck. Thank you Ms. Smith.
@djc Didn’t John Rustad try a variation of this and get called on it? Also, I vaguely recall one of Drump’s trade goons blathering the same horse apples during a visit to Edmonton.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/mayor-province-point-fingers-after-trump-adviser-singles-out-edmonton-s-drug-crisis-1.7450288
Why let a folksy tale go to waste? Recycle it!
It’s crazy that they haven’t changed the name of Wilson’s portfolio. The UCP believe that drug addiction is a moral failing, unrelated to mental health. It’s nonsensical ideological trash but it’s pretty clear that’s what they believe. Not only that, but because of their false piety, they don’t care what happens to people of what they consider low morals, see; the housing crisis, the drug poisoning crisis, or what the yellow press calls “disorder” in our cities. These problems have solutions, it’s just that the UCP is intentionally cruel, mean and wicked.
Kudos to those faith leaders in this province who still exhibit both faith and leadership, and have denounced this gang of Pharisees.
“It is beyond irresponsible to mislead the public with statements like this. . . . “Unfortunately, playing fast and loose with the facts is a pattern of behavior with this government . . .”
It is simply the way the UCP and its dogmatic leader rolls, Further, group dynamics, loyalty to the team, ideological indoctrination, and peer pressure play important roles in defining in group political behavioral repertoires and their expression.
Simply put, if you are going to be part of the team, you need to act, think, and speak like a loyal disciple, i.e., in conformity and obedience to both the accepted doctrine and the wishes of the high priest(ess). Dissent/heresy is met with de facto excommunication, for example,
“Outspoken Alberta MLA Peter Guthrie has been expelled from the United Conservative Party. “It is also clear that he wishes to continue to publicly voice his opposition to the government on that issue.””
https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/mla-peter-guthrie-kicked-out-of-ucp-caucus/
Finally, as has been alluded to in the past; whereas the observing (passive) audience is part of “the discernible reality based community”, history’s actors (the political managers and the socially and economically powerful individuals that they serve) both create and define their own reality and by extension and generally the definable and permissible limits of the larger social reality.
So, what is going on with this CBC poll about Alberta political popularity? It certainly runs counter to the anti-UCP info I pick up from reading this blog all the time.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/janet-brown-poll-ucp-danielle-smith-road-ahead-9.7177527
I recently witnessed a car accident that had a fatality.
Therefore, all cars murder people.
This reminds me a bit of the BC Conservative leader’s jump the shark moment when he said he saw someone die of an overdose on the way to an election debate. While it generated at lot of attention and controversy. He didn’t win the election.
Although perhaps in Alberta we are more used to our politicians saying ridiculous things. I keep waiting for people to turn on them for going too far, but they haven’t yet. Maybe the UCP really could shoot a homeless person on Jasper Avenue and still get elected. However when it comes to our social problems so far their strategy has mostly been neglect and denial. So I suppose this latest statement is in keeping with that. Let’s just ignore people on the streets dying of addictions and also in part due to the lack of social supports and focus on perhaps imaginary deaths due to supervised consumption.