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Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michelle says there is no evidence to force people into addiction treatment, but she doesn't weigh on whether the state should pursue unwilling treatment.
“I think every Canadian is entitled to medical treatment,” she said.
“I don't tell you (it) to force them to treat them. It's a way to solve the problem. For now, I don't think I have any scientific evidence about this practice.”
Alberta has introduced drastic laws to allow families, healthcare workers or police to apply to anyone who ordered treatment for their addiction.
Under that law, people who use substances that are thought to pose a risk to themselves or others may be forced to a safe treatment facility for up to three months.
In British Columbia, where the opioid crisis was particularly fatal, the provincial government recently opened a 10-unit facility in pretrial centres to treat prison people with serious brain injuries and addiction problems. The government is aiming to add facilities to prisons throughout the state.
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Officials at BC said they are trying to provide help to those who are unable to seek help and are trying to prevent them from spending time separating while they wait for the bed to open.
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Last month, Ontario plans to study how to implement involuntary treatment in the correction system and announced plans to plan contacts with experienced people and experts. The Ontario government says it is looking for BC as a potential model.
The proposed changes have been opposed by advocates who say the government should focus on expanding access to voluntary treatment.
Michelle said she would not comment on the state's plans for now.
“I think we need to work closely together, so we sit down and see the results, but most of the time we need scientific evidence,” she said in an interview outside the House of Representatives.
A 2023 review published in the Canadian Journal of Addiction found that because of a substance use disorder “there is no high quality evidence to support or refute unwanted treatment.” This study concluded that more research is needed.
The Canadiantum Health Association of British Columbia said existing evidence shows that forced people to be treated actually increases the risk of dying from drug addiction after it is released.
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