Conservatives, London doctor spar over safe supply comments

The federal Conservatives are calling for a London doctor’s medical licence to be revoked and have accused her of lying about safer opioid supply.

In response, Dr. Andrea Sereda has accused the Conservatives of lying about her and charged that Pierre Poilievre’s party is trying to silence doctors across the country who don’t follow party dogma.

“The Conservatives are going to scare physicians into not speaking up about things the Conservatives don’t agree with,” Sereda said.

“I find it very concerning (the Conservatives) would suggest that a physician should have their medical licence revoked and their livelihood revoked because they do not agree with the Conservatives.”

Sereda is the founder of London’s Safer Opioid Supply (SOS) program that provides prescription hydromorphone to 278 patients who would otherwise use street drugs that can contain any number of harmful elements.

Like safe consumption sites, safe supply is a harm reduction method aimed at improving people’s health and lives, wherever they are on a road to treatment or recovery, if at all.

Studies have shown that the London SOS program improves the health and quality of life for patients, and reduces overdoses, police interactions and hospital visits.

The federal Conservatives charge that safer opioid supply programs are fuelling Canada’s opioid crisis because the drugs are being diverted to the street by patients, and getting into the hands of teenagers and children.

Sereda has publicly maintained – including before the federal standing committee on health studies issues – there’s no evidence safer supply drugs are ending up in the hands of children, the Conservatives said in their news release.

But “behind closed doors,” at a harm reduction group’s recent annual meeting, Sereda recently said it is possible some adolescents have accessed the supply, the Conservatives say.

That’s lying, the Conservatives said.

“Why would this so-called ‘expert’ deceive the committee looking into the opioid crisis” the Conservative news release says.

“Probably to cover for the fact that she has received $6.5 million, with another $1.8 million to come, from Trudeau’s government to run a program that, by her own admission, has seen dangerous drugs end up in the hands of kids. She lied to committee to protect her own interests and should have her medical license revoked.”

It’s not lying at all, Sereda countered.

“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. “Those statements are not contradictory.”

In the release, the Conservatives also said Sereda “by her own admission, has seen dangerous drugs end up in the hands of kids.”

That’s simply not true, Sereda said.

“I have never, categorically never, seen a child or youth use diverted safe supply or any hydromorphone and I have never heard of any child or youth using hydromorphone from safe supply,” Sereda told The London Free Press.

The annual meeting was held virtually June 1 by Moms Stop The Harm (MSTH), a harm reduction group. Sereda said she knew her comments would be seen publicly.

“I consented to being recorded and I consented to it being publicly posted on the Moms Stop the Harm YouTube page. I did not think this was a private meeting,” she said.

She declined to comment when asked about a legal response to the Conservatives’ statements.

This week, Adam Zivo, a freelance contributor for the National Post, wrote a column saying Sereda was saying one thing in public and another thing behind closed doors. Zivo, who says he is on the board of directors of the Centre for Responsible Drug Policy, is a frequent critic of safe supply and Sereda.

On X, Poilievre referenced the story and commented “Radical hard drug advocate says one thing to a parliamentary committee and another thing in private.”

On Friday, the Conservatives issued the news release and called for an emergency committee meeting for Sereda to come back and testify again.

“I would welcome the opportunity to share my evidence, my knowledge and my expertise, and continue to state the truth the way that I did in my first appearance,” Sereda said.

Sereda said she’s become a target of the Conservatives because she’s the national face of and considered an expert on safe supply.

“They are trying to discredit safe supply and tear it down by discrediting me,” she said.

The Conservatives and supporters in the media have been increasing their attacks on harm reduction measures, such as safe supply and consumption sites, as next year’s federal election approaches.

In the Friday news release, the Conservatives blamed the Liberal and NDP’s “radical experiments” of “taxpayer-funded free drugs” for the overdose deaths of 42,000 Canadians since Justin Trudeau was elected prime minister in 2015.

Proponents of harm reduction measures argue that the rise in deaths coincide with the introduction of deadly fentanyl to the streets, the increasingly risky mixtures of chemicals in illicit drug supplies, the pandemic’s shutdown of services, and the rise in poverty, addiction and mental illness exacerbated by shortages of housing and supports.

rrichmond@postmedia.com