As the former mayor of Vancouver, Liberal candidate for Fraserview–South Vancouver, Gregor Robertson, advocated for harmful drug decriminalization policies.
Robertson, who officially announced his candidacy on Saturday, has a well-documented record of being in favour of radical drug liberalization and decriminalization policies.
As mayor of Vancouver from 2008 to 2018, Robertson was a vocal advocate for the decriminalization of personal drug possession, viewing it as a critical component in addressing the opioid overdose crisis.
In 2017, he wrote a letter to a House of Commons Committee in support of safe injection sites and said, “expressions of community support or opposition should not be relevant to the Federal Government’s approval process.”
A year later, Robertson said “decriminalizing possession would “save many lives” during a 2018 press conference.
During the same press conference, Robertson said increasing public access to fentanyl and heroin “would be a lifesaving shift”.
At that time, there were roughly 100 overdose deaths per month across B.C.—a number that has increased significantly, with 2,511 overdose deaths reported in 2023 according to data from B.C. Emergency Health Services.
In early 2023, the British Columbia government —in conjunction with the Trudeau government in Ottawa—initiated a three-year pilot project decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of certain illicit drugs, aiming to “reduce stigma” and encourage individuals to seek help.
However, the province had faced challenges related to public consumption near childcare spaces and associated safety concerns, leading to B.C. NDP Premier David Eby to reverse course and end the program.
The reversal followed reports detailing open drug use in public spaces where children were present, increased crime in affected communities and a failure to address overdoses.