Liberal senator champions radical opioid decriminalization

Senator Gwen Boniface joins an Australian think tank pushing “safe supply” policies, aligning with the Liberals’ $1 billion failed strategy that unleashed a flood of addictive opioids onto Canada’s streets.

Tamara Ugolini
  |   July 02, 2025   |   News Analysis   |   1 Comment

 

A Liberal-appointed senator has taken a seat on the board of an Australian think tank advocating for liberalized drug laws, like the Orwellian-named “safer supply” of government-provided toxic, highly addictive opioids.

Senator Gwen Boniface, a former Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner, disclosed her voluntary role with the Penington Institute in a June 10 ethics filing made public this week, as first reported by Blacklock’s.

The Penington Institute advocates for “safe supply” drug policies, stating in its mission that “like it or not, drugs are part of every society.”

“It would be naive to think otherwise. And cruel to ignore it. And, while we don’t encourage drug use, there are other things that we will always encourage,” they state, under the subheading “Our Role.”

Boniface has long advocated for decriminalizing the simple possession of drugs like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. She previously sponsored Bill S-229, which called for a federal strategy to decriminalize narcotics within two years, treating minor possession as a ticketing offence. “Substance use disorder is a public health issue, not a criminal justice issue,” the bill’s preamble declared.

Though the proposal died in the last Parliament, Boniface argued the “war on drugs” has failed, burdening police, courts, and social services. “Criminalization has proven ineffective,” Boniface said, advocating for a health-based approach with measures like warnings, fines, or mandatory treatment referrals.

This flies in the face of real-world data, which showed that closer to home, in the province of British Columbia, the drug decriminalization pilot project ended after just 15 months amid public disorder and a spike in overdoses.

Called a “wicked policy” by one public health expert, the current "safe supply" drug policies, intended as part of collaborative wrap-around services, have devolved into fragmented, ineffective measures that prioritize low-effort harm reduction over genuine recovery.

The potential to exacerbate addiction, cognitive deficits, and public disorder, while these perverse incentives in funding structures reward increased service demand rather than positive outcomes like housing or rehabilitation, highlights the urgent need for a policy overhaul that prioritizes comprehensive, outcome-driven support systems to foster genuine recovery and community safety.

Senator Boniface’s alignment with the Penington Institute’s progressive drug policies coincides with the Liberals’ failed $1 billion “safer supply” strategy, which was supposed to “save lives” but instead has fueled chaos across the country and a black-market flood of diverted, government-supplied, highly addictive opioids onto Canada’s streets.

Relentless advocacy for decriminalization willfully ignores the devastating real-world fallout — rampant public disorder, shattered communities, and lives lost.

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Tamara Ugolini

Senior Editor

Tamara Ugolini is an informed choice advocate turned journalist whose journey into motherhood sparked her passion for parental rights and the importance of true informed consent. She critically examines the shortcomings of "Big Policy" and its impact on individuals, while challenging mainstream narratives to empower others in their decision-making.

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  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2025-07-02 22:19:57 -0400
    What utter stupidity! Isn’t the proof on the streets about how dangerous these hard drugs are? Liberals have reprobate minds.