April 26, 2022 

Treaty 1 and Dakota Territory, Homeland of the Red River Métis, Winnipeg MB – While the PCs refuse to take action on the addiction's crisis, NDP Critic for mental health and addictions introduced a bill today that would mark the Sunday before Mother’s Day as a day of bereavement for families who have lost children to overdose deaths.  

“Every life lost to an overdose death is a child taken to soon,” said Smith. “Mother’s Day is hard for so many families who are carrying the pain, grief and often the stigma that comes with an overdose death. One important step we can take in our province is to acknowledge their grief by marking an official day of bereavement in their honour.” 

In 2021 a record 407 Manitobans died from overdose. Families, experts and advocates have called on the PCs to take a harm-reduction approach and look into building a safe consumption site in Manitoba. Despite the evidence and spike in overdose deaths, Premier Stefanson is repeating Pallister’s mistakes and refusing to take action. Too many lives have been lost in Manitoba.