Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is taking the issue of opioid overdose deaths very seriously. The Prime Minister also says regulating the sale of marijuana will protect young people and take money away from criminal gangs. He also told reporters that his government does not plan to legalize any other illicit drugs.
Trudeau spent Thursday morning at CFB Esquimalt, where he went on a five-kilometre run with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and military personnel, met with sailors and toured the facility.
Trudeau examined the recently modernized combat systems on board HMCS Ottawa, one of the Pacific fleet's five frigate-class ships. He also visited the crew of HMCS Chicoutimi as the submarine was about to leave the base for a voyage.
Later in the day, Trudeau met privately with Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps at city hall, where protesters gathered outside carrying signs that chided the government for dropping plans to reform the electoral system and its support for the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion project.
Helps says she received no firm commitments from Trudeau during the 30-minute meeting. They discussed green technology, the opioid crisis, the city's cruise ship terminal and housing. "We spent the majority of our time on what I see as areas of alignment between city of Victoria's strategic plan and the federal governments mandate."