Fact Checked: Four Claims on Drug Deaths
It was a heated day in Canada’s House of Commons when elected Speaker Greg Fergus ejected Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre from the chamber on April 30. Fergus removed Poilievre after he repeatedly refused to withdraw his remark that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was pushing “wacko” drug policies.
That day Conservative MP Rachael Thomas posted on the social media site X in support of her boss.
“Drug use in parks, hospitals and public spaces is whacko. Drug deaths are up by 380 per cent in B.C. Pierre Poilievre called out Trudeau for his dangerous drug policies today in the House of Commons,” Thomas wrote. “How did partisan hack Greg Fergus respond?! He kicked Pierre Poilievre out of the chamber.”
THE CLAIM: Drug deaths are up by 380 per cent in B.C. The Tyee is supported by readers like you Join us and grow independent media in Canada
Thomas’s 380 per cent increase compares the number of B.C. drug deaths in 2015 with the 2023 total.
FACT CHECK: Over a similar period, drug deaths are up by 198 per cent in Alberta.*
What Thomas neglected to mention is that overdose deaths have risen by 588 per cent in her home riding of Lethbridge, Alberta, over a similar period (2016 compared with 2023).
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