CCLA Warns Lives Are at Risk Under Quebec’s Bill 103 Restricting Harm Reduction Services

TORONTO — The passage of Bill 103 in the Quebec National Assembly imposes restrictions that will make it harder for people living with addiction to access essential, life-saving health services.

The CCLA stands with Quebec civil society organizations, including healthcare professionals, who have raised serious concerns about limiting proven harm-reduction measures that support people experiencing substance dependency and severe addiction.

Bill 103 prohibits the establishment or operation of a safe injection site within 150 metres of a school or childcare centre, despite clear evidence that such services save lives and protect communities.

Communities across Quebec and throughout Canada are facing an unprecedented opioid crisis, alongside escalating homelessness and mental health challenges. This is a moment that demands expanded, evidence-based supports, not reduced access to critical lifesaving services.

“The Quebec government’s restrictions on safe consumption sites are misguided and put vulnerable and marginalized people at great risk,” says Harini Sivalingam, Director of the Equality Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. “The Supreme Court of Canada has recognized that addiction is a disease, and that denying people access to health services offered through safe injection sites threatens their health and, indeed, their lives.”

For more than a decade, CCLA has advocated for the rights of people living with addiction to access vital health services. In 2011, we intervened at the Supreme Court of Canada in the landmark case Canada (Attorney General) v. PHS Community Services Society, which affirmed constitutional protections for supervised consumption sites.

We call on the Quebec government to uphold the safety, health, and dignity of all, including those struggling with problematic substance use.  CCLA will continue to defend the rights, health, and lives of the most vulnerable members of our communities.