‘Beyond bizarre’: Liberal MP rips Tory attack on London doctor

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The federal Conservatives’ attack on a London doctor and a drug harm-reduction program are “inappropriate and unacceptable,” a city Liberal MP says.

“To go on these personal attacks and get involved in a discussion about the licence of a medical professional is beyond bizarre and smacks of right-wing populist politics,” said London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos.

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“It’s entirely inappropriate for any elected politician, regardless of party, to comment on the professional standing of a physician or any other professional,” he said.

Fragiskatos said he still supports London’s safer opioid supply program as an important measure to overcome the toxic drug supply on the streets.

“I’m not going to be taking the musings of the Conservative Party on safe supply terribly seriously. They are not grounded in evidence,” he said.

The federal Conservatives last week issued a news release saying Dr. Andrea Sereda, the head of the Safer Opioid Supply (SOS) program, lied and should have her medical licence revoked.

Sereda lied by telling a House of Commons committee there was no evidence that the opioids provided by safe supply were ending up in the hands of children, but later telling an advocacy group it was possible teenagers could experiment with drugs accessed from safe supply, the Conservatives charged.

In response, Sereda maintains there was no contradiction in what she said.

“In Parliament, I said there is no evidence or data this is happening. At the annual meeting I said there is no evidence or data this is happening, but we need to be honest with ourselves that kids experiment with drugs and it’s not unreasonable to think that some kid will experiment with safe supply,” Sereda said last week.

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“Those statements are not contradictory.”

Sereda took the Conservatives to task for trying to silence doctors who don’t agree with the party’s beliefs.

The SOS program provides prescription hydromorphone to 278 patients who would otherwise use street drugs. Those drugs can contain a number of different deadly chemicals at unknown levels.

Studies have shown the SOS program improves the health and quality of life of the participants.

But Conservatives maintain that across Canada participants’ selling of their safe supply drugs is fueling the opioid crisis and associated deaths.

It’s fine for politicians to debate the merits of safe supply and risks of diverting the drugs, Fragiskatos said. But personal attacks on a doctor and a program backed by evidence make no progress in battling the opioid crisis, he said.

“It’s deeply unfortunate she’s had to confront so much negativity. That’s not just inappropriate, that’s unacceptable,” he said. “I don’t know what a personal attack does to help someone get off of drugs. The attack is simply to get votes.”

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The Conservatives like to identify problems without offering solutions, Fragiskatos said.

“You have to put solutions on the table. Failing that, you’re not a serious party,” he said. “We looked at the evidence. (Safe supply) offers something compelling in the context of a drug crisis on our streets and a toxic supply. This provides an avenue to keep people alive.”

Asked for a response to Fragiskatos’s comments, Sebastian Skamski, director of media relations for Conservative Leader Pierre Polievre, doubled down on the earlier charges about Sereda – saying four times in emailed comments that the doctor had lied.

“Lying about deadly drugs ending up in the hands of children just to peddle her political agenda is serious and horrifying. Dr. Sereda must be held accountable for lying to Parliament,” he wrote.

rrichmond@postmedia.com

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