On November 29, 2018, Jenny rose and addressed the actions the Government needs to take:
Jenny Kwan (NDP) Vancouver East, BC
"Mr. Speaker, my constituent's daughter was an active, engaged straight A student. When she was 14, she underwent four surgeries. The surgeries left her in much pain.
To manage the pain, her doctors prescribed OxyContin, and with each surgery, the dosage increased. The pain persisted, but one day the doctors just stopped prescribing the meds.
Now addicted to opioids and still in pain, this young woman found herself buying street drugs to manage, is homeless and struggling to survive. My constituent lives in fear that her daughter will die of an overdose.
Sadly, this is not an isolated story. Clearly, the opioid crisis is a national health emergency. In the U.S., federal authorities have already secured criminal pleas and over $600 million in fines, damages and other costs from Purdue Pharma for misbranding OxyContin with the intent to defraud and mislead.
I am calling on the government to launch an investigation into the role drug companies may have played in fuelling the opioid crisis and seek meaningful compensation.
It is time for the Liberals to take on big pharma. Families deserve answers and accountability."
NDP MP Jenny Kwan reacts to Trudeau-era minister Marc Miller back into Liberal cabinet and Joël Lightbound becoming Quebec lieutenant and Julie Dabrusin taking on parks and nature to her portfolio, says ‘no matter how they try to reconfigure their look, you know, it’s the same group of people.’
MPs speak with reporters on Parliament Hill as they convene for the daily question period in the House of Commons. They face questions about Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault’s resignation from cabinet over the federal government’s new energy pact with Alberta, which lays the groundwork for a new bitumen pipeline to the B.C. coast.
Speaking with reporters are Liberal MPs Peter Fragiskatos, Sean Casey, Charles Sousa, and Anthony Housefather and NDP MPs Jenny Kwan and Gord Johns. (no interpretation)
NDP MP Jenny Kwan faces questions from reporters on Parliament Hill on reports of talks between Alberta, Saskatchewan and the federal government over the development of a new pipeline. The negotiations, which British Columbia was not a part of, pertain to the possibility of a new bitumen pipeline from Alberta to the north coast of B.C (no interpretation)