VICTORIA – Niki Sharma, Attorney General, has released the following statement on the fight against opioid manufacturers and distributors following the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision:

“In 2018, B.C. began a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Canada, representing all jurisdictions, and we enacted the Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act.

“We took this action to recover health-care costs of treating opioid-related disease to hold manufacturers and distributors accountable for their part in allegedly engaging in deceptive marketing tactics to increase sales, which led to increased rates of addiction and overdose.

“Today marks a significant victory in our fight against the opioid manufacturers and distributors as B.C can now proceed on behalf of the federal, provincial and territorial governments to recover the cost of treating opioid-related disease allegedly caused by the industry’s wrongful conduct following the Supreme Court of Canada ruling.

“We are holding multinational pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in the public health emergency declared in 2016 that has taken the lives of countless people and impacted many families.

“Our government will continue this fight on behalf of its citizens and all people of Canada until a final resolution is reached and encourage the defendants to consider their role in the ongoing opioid crisis and to work collaboratively with the Government of B.C. to make amends.

“We are and will keep on fighting for people in our province and all of Canada because it is the right thing to do.”