New Community Action Group Forms to Resist Harper Anti-Drug Strategy

[Courtesy of the Canadian Harm Reduction Network] History On 26th July 2007, NDP MP Peggy Nash organized a community meeting at Toronto's Parkdale Community Health Centre with a panel of speakers including NDP Drug Policy critic Libby Davies, MP, the Toronto Drug Secretariat’s Susan Shepherd, Dr. Joanne Csete, from the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, Chantal Desgranges from the Toronto Harm Reduction Task Force, Parkdale-High Park MPP Cheri DiNovo and community activist Mark Dukes . It was an evening full of energy and lively debate, and a call went out at the end of the meeting for the community to take action against the regressive “Anti-Drug Strategy” being proposed by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government. Then on 4th October, Libby Davies again visited Toronto, this time for an appearance at the Toronto Harm Reduction Task Force’s Speakers’ Series – on the very day that Canada's Anti-Drug Strategy was being announced – see Stephen Harper’s speech at http://pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=1837 With about 40 people in attendance, there was much dismay around health minister Tony Clement’s comment that “the party’s over” – like life’s ever been a party for poor people, who are the main targets of drug criminalization. A group of people signed up to meet and strategize, and on October 18th, we formed the Harm Reduction Action Group. Next Steps Our next meeting will be held at 1.00pm on Thursday November 15th, at John Howard Society, 60 Wellesley St. West, in Toronto. We agreed that our first priority is to develop an “ideal world” harm reduction strategy for ourselves, and then reach out to community action groups in other centres across Canada for buy-in, and present the Harper Conservatives with OUR vision for a strategy that reduces harm – including the harm that comes from the enforcement of prohibition that just isn’t working. Take Action – NOW! Interested? Visit our website, http://www.harmreductionactiongroup.wordpress.com and post a comment on our forum, come to our next meeting, or email Sarah Prowse at [email protected].