Oppose open drug use? Rack it up to colonialism, says B.C. report

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If you are opposed to widespread open drug use in society, it is most likely due to colonialism and racism. That's what BC's Human Rights Commissioner wants you to believe, and that's what she's telling provincial politicians in British Columbia in a new report.

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Kasari Govender says she advocates for a scientific and evidence-based approach to combating the opioid crisis. Instead, it promotes a far-left ideological approach that has only led to more deaths.

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“Beyond problems in the health system, this crisis is also rooted in colonial attitudes that prioritize individualism over community, wealth over health and power over compassion,” Govender wrote in the new report.

“A compassionate and practical approach to the toxic drug crisis requires prioritizing scientific evidence over political ideology and making every effort possible to save lives, prevent brain damage and respect fundamental human dignity.”

The number of drug deaths does not support her claims.

Here's the problem with her claim: the hard numbers, especially the number of deaths, don't support her claims.

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British Columbia has long been at the forefront of drug policy liberalization and always claims that it will save lives. However, in the 10 years from 2014 to 2023, the number of opioid overdose deaths in British Columbia increased sevenfold, from 370 to 2,589.

During this time, the provincial government has adopted policy after policy to increase the number of safe injection sites, to add so-called “safer supplies” and even lobbied the federal government to decriminalize all drugs in the province starting in January 2023.

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During the same period, the number of opioid overdose deaths in Ontario increased from 676 deaths to 2,593, or 3.75 times more. In 2023, Ontario, a jurisdiction with three times the population of British Columbia, had just four overdose deaths.

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The difference is Ontario hasn't gone as far down the anti-drug rabbit hole as B.C.

Both provinces were hit by a fentanyl epidemic around the same time, and both provinces were subject to the federal government's failed “safer supply” policies that only made things worse, but British Columbia moved on. The situation has become so bad that stories of rampant public drug use, a rise in petty crime, and horror stories of parents calling children's play parks unfit for purpose have prompted Prime Minister David Eby abandon the policy of decriminalization.

“While we care and have compassion for those struggling with addiction, we do not tolerate street violence that makes communities feel unsafe,” Eby said in April 2026.

Commissioner attacks government over drug laws

Well, according to Commissioner Govender, it just smacks of colonialism.

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“This decision was not supported by the available evidence; rather, it was based on an unfounded public perception that street disorder had increased as a result of decriminalization, for which there was no data,” Govender wrote in her report.

To support this assertion, she turns to police data showing no significant increase in peace violations across British Columbia during the period of decriminalization.

Once again, I note the mortality statistics, including that 199 more people died from opioid overdose in 2023 than in 2022. After decriminalization was lifted, the numbers began to fall.

Activism masquerading as human rights politics

We can't let lawyers and activists run drug policy, and Guvender is clearly an activist. Govender is a former board member of the Pivot Legal Society, a group that advocates for decriminalization and argues that B.C.'s decriminalization efforts have not gone far enough.

Govender calls his policy proposals a rights-based approach to drug policy. It's actually a rehash of the same failed policies that activists have been pushing for years, wrapped in fancy new packaging, but it will only lead to the same results – more people dying.

I would like to say that we should ignore this report and the governor, but unfortunately she is in power and has influence. Instead, this report should be debunked and shown that the commissioner is promoting ideology, not science.

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