As the 9th anniversary of B.C.'s toxic drug public health emergency arrived today, the provincial government is facing criticism from voices both inside and outside the legislature.

The BC Coroners Service has linked the deaths of more than 16,000 British Columbians to toxic drugs since the emergency was declared on April 14, 2016. Nearly a decade later, a rally outside the legislature organized by Moms Stop The Harm displayed pictures of some of the deceased, as speakers called on government to step up efforts to stem the tide. 

"I lost my boy Jordan and I won't blame his addition on policy-makers or the government or a bad doctor, but I do blame the government for the lack of resources and the lack of action in the face of the public health emergency," Leslie McBain, co-founder of the group said, during her remarks. 

She then directly addressed B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne, who was in attendance. 

"I see my friend Josie Osborne right there," she said. "I'm talking to you Josie and everybody. We need to work on this fast. We need to stop the death now, today, yesterday, nine years ago." 

About 300 people, many of them carrying oversized pictures of loved ones, attended the rally, where they heard several speakers, including former B.C. Green MLA  Adam Olsen, Jess Wilder of Doctors for Safer Drug Policy and former chief coroner Lisa Lapointe.

Olsen said progress has been marginal and called on government to show the same level of urgency it has displayed during the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters. 

"Let me go on the record as saying this very clearly — this crisis is not just about toxic drugs, it is about toxic policies," Wilder said.

She accused the health care system of being reactive, adding government must invest in health, housing and universal basic income among other measures. 

"Substance use and addiction are a symptom of the trauma caused by these broken systems," she said. "We are barely able to put out the fires that exist, much less prevent them. We wait for crises and then we scramble to respond."

Wilder also questioned why harm reduction and treatment are being played off against each other, calling on politicians to think beyond electoral cycles. 

"We need to start criminalizing pain and start resourcing hope," she said. 

Lapointe, meanwhile, accused government of reversing key policies despite evidence that they are working. Lapointe specifically pointed to changes to  government's prescribed pharmaceutical-alternatives program, also known as safe supply.

"Some unsavoury political types are taking the safer supply moniker and are trying to say that it's handing out free drugs to people, who are badly impacted by drugs," she said. 

That is not the case, she added.

"Pharmaceutical alternatives (are) in a way a treatment," she said. "It's trying to remove people from the illicit, toxic, profit-driven market and provide them with an alternative to keep them alive, to help them connect to services."

Lapointe also questioned government's decision to reverse elements of the current decriminalization trial and introduce involuntary care, but also acknowledged "strong political headwinds." 

Osborne said today's "really sombre" anniversary gives everybody an opportunity to reflect on those who lost their lives, as well as their friends and family members grieving those losses. She said it is important to listen to a wide variety of voices.

"It's important to listen to families and friends, to care providers, to experts, to clinicians. We have to do this work to build a system of care that meets people where they are at on their journey and supports them every single step of the way."

When asked whether politics have motivated her government to pull back on policies in which it might otherwise believe, Osborne said government has to fight the toxic drug crisis on all fronts in the absence of a silver bullet. 

"This is a government that is not afraid of trying new things, of hearing feedback from people, of working with clinicians and experts and making difficult choices at times," she said, adding that government will continue to invest in treatment, recovery, harm prevention and mental supports.

"One death is too many."

Conservative Elenore Sturko, MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale, said B.C. finds itself in no better place than it was in 2016.

"(We) have wasted a lot of time of NDP and (federal) Liberal pro-drug liberalization and experimental pathways...," she said.

Government should have directed the money it has spent over the years on these failed polices into proven treatments and other measures such as appropriate housing and services for people with mental illnesses and addictions. She also questioned government's urgency on the file relative to other files.

"Look how fast they could build back the (Coquihalla) highway, because they knew it was important and yet we had 16,000 British Columbians die over (nine) years and barely 100 treatment beds per added," she said. "It really shows you where the priorities lie." 

Sturko also criticized some critics of government.

"So some of the individuals who are outside rallying right now are some of the ones that were advocates for some of the programs that led to death and destruction here in British Columbia," Sturko said. She specifically signalled out Lapointe, noting her support for expanding safe supply toward non-prescription. 

"This is something that even the current NDP government has rejected," Sturko said. "These ideas are rejected. We saw a very tight election that where we campaigned certainly on ending these practices and I think the majority of British Columbians spoke very loudly saying in saying, 'this is not where we want our province to go.'"