Poilievre wants life sentences for ‘fentanyl kingpins’
“Let’s call fentanyl trafficking what it is: mass murder,” Poilievre told reporters on Wednesday, whilst comparing drugs to “spraying bullets into a crowd.”
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre wants mandatory life sentences for drug traffickers, whom he calls “fentanyl kingpins.”
“Let’s call fentanyl trafficking what it is: mass murder,” he told reporters on Wednesday, whilst comparing drugs to “spraying bullets into a crowd.”
Under a Conservative government, Poilievre says traffickers caught with 20 mg to 40 mg of pure fentanyl would receive up to 15 years in prison.
To do so, he would repeal amendments to the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, drawing ire from critics.
Poilievre announces that he will 'throw away the key' for fentanyl kingpins and says Canada should do this without pressure from Donald Trump, but to protect Canadians from the soft-on-crime Liberals. pic.twitter.com/pVp8pNVpTI
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 5, 2025
Senator Kim Pate, a professor of law, says a tough-on-crime approach is not the answer, as reported by CTV News.
“If any government really wanted to take on some of these issues, they would look at … how homelessness, poverty and addictions and mental health issues intersect,” she said.
“Why would you … enact those laws, put people in prison, then to have legal challenges and then enact new laws?”
The imposition of mandatory life sentences would be subject to court challenges, according to the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), who claims Poilievre’s recommendation will not have the desired effect.
Poilievre addresses the 49,000 Canadians who have died from overdoses during Trudeau's tenure as the Liberals fail to stop fentanyl 'superlabs'.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 3, 2025
He calls Trump's tariffs "unjustified" but says a foreign leader shouldn't have to point out Canada's problems before we fix them. pic.twitter.com/kSLM6sugk9
The Supreme Court of Canada struck down mandatory minimum penalties in 2016 as unconstitutional, though Poilievre interprets the law differently.
“What I am proposing today is not only allowed under the Charter, it is required by the Charter,” he said, dispelling suggestions he would invoke the notwithstanding clause to shield such a law from a legal challenge.
Poilievre claims “locking up the mass murderers that bring these drugs in” would protect Section 7 rights to life, liberty and the security of the person, given opioids have killed 49,000 Canadians since 2016.
Only “a few grains” of fentanyl is considered deadly, according to Health Canada, with two milligrams enough to cause fatal overdoses.
Trump BLAMES Canada, Mexico for America’s fentanyl deaths
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) January 23, 2025
Roughly 350 crime groups are producing fentanyl in Canada for global consumption, killing tens of thousands of people annually in the United States.https://t.co/ugMAZVz77Z
Fentanyl trafficking earned renewed spotlight following punitive tariff threats by U.S. President Donald Trump, who blamed Canada for drug deaths in his country.
He followed up by designating the illicit drug trade a national security risk on Saturday through one of many executive orders.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would appoint a “fentanyl czar” in two calls with Trump on Monday, which Poilievre called “performative,” though it delayed the implementation of tariffs by 30 days.
The Tory MP said Canada shouldn’t be taking action “just to please him [Trump].”
Alex Dhaliwal
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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-02-06 20:59:41 -0500Pushers should be put to death. I’m talking about manufacturers of Fentanyl and the head pushers of it. Do like Steppenwolf sang in “The Pusher.”
