MP Au Introduces “Emily’s Legacy” to Crack Down on Fentanyl Kingpins
Ottawa, ON – Chak Au, Conservative Member of Parliament for Richmond Centre–Marpole, released the following statement on the tabling of Bill C-289, the Stopping Supply to Save Lives Act, legislation he hopes Canadians will come to know as “Emily’s Legacy”:
“Canada’s fentanyl crisis is one of the greatest public safety and public health challenges of our time. More than 56,000 Canadians have lost their lives to opioid toxicity since 2016, with fentanyl involved in the vast majority of those deaths.
“Fentanyl is unlike any other drug we have dealt with before. Yet despite the devastation it has caused, criminals continue to profit from this deadly poison.
“Recent events in Moncton show just how disastrous it can be. In less than two weeks, more than 300 overdoses were reported after a contaminated drug supply entered the community,rapidly becoming a public health emergency.
“The Liberal government’s response has been to heap regulation upon regulation onto precursor chemicals and substances. But criminals do not follow regulations: they adapt, exploit loopholes, and move faster than the government can react. As long as the profits remain high and the consequences low, criminal networks will find new ways to sell synthetic opioids.
“That is why I introduced Bill C-289, the Stopping Supply to Save Lives Act, or simply ‘Emily’s Legacy’. Named in memory of Emily Liu, a 14-year-old girl whose life was tragically cut short by fentanyl, this legislation seeks to ensure that those who profit from addiction and death face serious consequences.
“This bill targets those who traffic and produce highly lethal synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and its analogues. It increases penalties for serious synthetic opioid offences, creates new aggravating sentencing factors, and ensures the most serious offenders face up to 25 years before they’re eligible for parole.
“Under this legislation, individuals convicted of trafficking or possessing synthetic opioids for the purpose of trafficking in quantities between 20 and 40 milligrams would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment and a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Individuals convicted of producing, importing, exporting, or trafficking more than 40 milligrams would face a life sentence.
“The legislation would further strengthen sentencing by requiring courts to treat offences committed near schools, child-care facilities, treatment centres and other locations serving vulnerable persons as aggravating factors.
“This bill is not aimed at individuals struggling with addiction. It does not target simple possession. Instead, it focuses on serious synthetic opioid offences involving highly lethal substances and specified quantity thresholds.
“The people who knowingly traffic and produce substances capable of killing in tiny quantities are not merely breaking the law: they are making calculated decisions that threaten countless lives.
“For too long, organized criminal networks have viewed Canada as a place where the risks are low and the profits are high. Emily’s Legacy sends a clear message: if you profit from peddling poison that has devastated Canadian families and communities, there will be serious consequences for you.
“I urge my colleagues from all parties to support this common-sense legislation and help stop the supply of fentanyl that continues to take lives across our country.”