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Poilievre’s video just makes me sad. He’s taken a human tragedy and cynically turned it into a marketing video, complete with a tie in to the “take back control of your life” tagline. His team probably thinks they’re being clever. Hopefully people can see through it.

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The "everything feels broken" summary is really starting to get to me, every conservative's commentary seems to circle back 'round to the notion that civilization in general, and Canada in particular, are circling the drain; and doing so because of our deep, systemic inadequacies.

Every National Post front page has me asking "In what way will we suck today" - our medicine, our schools, our military - you name it, there's a conservative column about how badly we do it.

No wonder you win with "sunny ways".

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Conservatives in general are using the rage farming republican playbook. No Canada isn’t perfect but it isn’t as bad they would like us to think either.

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So true. We are, in fact, a highly successful country that many in the world envy/admire. Sure, there are lots of ways we can improve. But seriously, where else would you prefer to live? Scandinavia comes to mind...

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The next election will be interesting in terms of that whole "the candidate in the better mood wins" canard - the right has gone all-in on miserabilism, but the prime minister hasn't seemed all that sunny in quite a while, himself.

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"miserabilism," Good word.

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Sunny ways? Really?

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It’s typical Polievre’s who thinks he knows more about an issue than anyone else, even people working/studying the issues for years. His position on the opioid crisis isn’t different than for other files, except the fact that more people may die because of it.

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Thanks for pushing back with your well-thought presentation. "Doesn't have a damned clue what he's talking about." One wonders about him and what game he thinks he's playing.

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"Feel like everything is broken" Canada has the lowest unemployment the highest median average wage the lowest poverty, Canada is ranked #1 for quality of life and 6th for freedom we have the lowest debt to GDP of any G7 and lower inflation than DE UK and USA! the only one claiming it's broken are Conservatives who want to give even more tax breaks for the rich privatize healthcare and fund private schools taking away funds from the public school system to enrich their don ofors.

Anyone who is critical of the issues we have with drugs and wants to regress back to a "War on Drugs" mentality is an IDIOT! the approach we should be driving towards is to the Portugal system! a total decriminalization of drugs and treating it as an illness like it is.

Anyone who believes this person is better for the country is an IDIOT

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Addiction is an illness, and should be treated as such.

I don’t know how many more things this leader of the Conservative Party of Canada- I can’t even stand to say his name- can do or say to alienate a former Progressive Conservative. In this “talking to the people” clip I hope some day he is ashamed - probably too much to ask- because he hasn’t the vaguest clue what he’s talking about and politicizing illness is dreadful.

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Poilievre actually says that addiction is terrorizing our communities. That the Liberals are "flooding" our streets with drugs, and that this is causing a massive increase in crime.

And a lot of people will buy this garbage because he puts it to edgy music.

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I don't think this is the gotcha you think it is. Safe injection sites are not safe recovery programs....

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Substack tells me this reader has cancelled her subscription so I'm left to wonder, in her absence, where I claimed safe injection sites are safe recovery programs, or why I would make that claim. Strictly speaking, this would seem not to be the gotcha she thinks I think it is.

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You said people should listen to what someone says. It appears you only half listened to Pierre yourself. Nothing that exists in AB or BC right now breaks the cycle of addiction to help addicts rebuild their lives. That's why this isn't a gotcha, Paul. I suggest you read Dreamland to get a better sense of how this all began and talk to former addicts who have recovered. I unsubscribed because I can get superficial knowledge gotchas from most any mainstream journalist. Best of luck with these.

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I'm surprised you're mad at me, rather than at the national political leader giving speeches and posting videos in which he claims, repeatedly, that something exists in Alberta that breaks the cycle of addiction to help addicts rebuild their lives.

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Your gotcha is based on superficial knowledge of addiction, Paul. Nothing that exists in AB or BC is sufficient or properly geared to the rebuilding of lives. Did you know it was an anti-harm approach to pain and an academic paper that started this crisis in the first place? Read Dreamland, read Deaths of Despair. Talk to recovered addicts, then report on the usefulness of current programs. Politicians rarely know details. This shouldn't surprise anyone. I can get a political superficial knowledge take from any journalist today. That's why I unsubscribed.

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There are about a dozen books with the title “Dreamland”. A few graphic novels too. Do you have an author?

I have spoken with many about different rehab programs. In a perfect world, each program would be designed differently for each person/addict. People are complicated and one size will not fit all so the programs that exist for now are like tube socks. They fit, sort of, but not well so only some gather the benefits of them.

I’m sorry for your family. A genetic thing? Nature vs nurture? No one knows for sure.

Poilievre will, it is guaranteed, to screw up anything that is currently in place. Safe injection sites are not for treatment. They are for saving lives. Most who OD and die are home alone, not out and about.

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You have no idea what you're talking about. I suppose you approve of decriminalizing fentanyl and other narcotics in BC too. Do you see it as a kindness? You know where you can stick your condescension, right?

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I wasn’t going for the gotcha. Usually no point. Did you open the links? Not just safe injection sites. Lots to do with recovery. But they have to be willing.

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Where are all the safe recovery programs in BC and AB?

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My issues? My issues are these systems failing my father, cousins, and friends.

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No one ever gave guarantees. Maybe your family members didn’t “try” hard enough as I am sure Pierre would say.

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No one on this thread gives a damn about addicts, Paul inlcluded. Thanks for showing your true colors though.

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You know nothing cupcake. Not about me or anyone else. And a lot of addicts don’t do anything, and I mean anything, except take. Hard to give a damn about someone like that.

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Paul I’m surprised as to how much you think you know? You’re a journalist unless you have some form of a doctors degree we don’t know about.

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PiPo does not know what he is talking about. Not the first clue of what has been tried and what works for addicts. He sees them all as losers living in tent cities who just need to be locked up until they are clean and then a stern talking to should set them straight. His idea of treatment.

Won’t PiPo be surprised to learn that those upright con-voting, deserving renters of his (who is in his house now that they moved into Stornoway, it’s 3 or 4 rental properties now?) may be as addicted as any poor soul in that tent community that used to live in an apartment but the rents skyrocketed? What about the folks there who are not on opioids, nor do they drink anything more intense than coffee? PePo once again has to be the smug, know-it-all, twit that grinned at us from behind Harper’s knees all those years ago. They must all be drug addicts because PePo says so.

So is Poilievre scoping out waterfront properties, hopefully scoring some logs (wood) he could squat on and fondle while he stares mournfully out over the “Pacific” aka Georgia Straight bemoaning how it’s all broken.

He talks about “these cities” like the GOP, De Santis, and Trump talk about Sanctuary Cities. He drops words about prescribed and over prescribed opiates as if he knows doctors that do and he knows how to fix that too (because that’s worked so well hasn’t it?). He’s just dumbing it down yet again for another Twitter screed. Gatekeepers yesterday, drug addicts today. What about the people in that tent city who are dealing with inflation PiPo? Or don’t they count? Or maybe they are ok because they are living rent free for now.

Stuff your “air quotes” Pierre. I can’t even watch your dreadful video with the audio on, even the sub-titles are bad. Admit you know absolutely nothing about what is going on in Alberta and BC. Hell, you don’t know what’s been happening in your own riding. Your “plan” to ignore the media and take to the streets of Canada to speak to real people only shows how utterly out of touch with reality you are.

And half of the crappy footage was from this past summer. Are there no tent cities in other Canadian provinces PiPo? You remind me of Ezra Levant sticking his head in people’s tents at an Occupy protest some years ago. He was trying to make some point. He failed too.

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And you honestly think Junior does? Mr. Dressup, the Banana boat singer, he doesn’t think about monetary issues. The guy is a total freak with a dream to destroy Canada as it is.

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