Furstenau Takes on NDP Stronghold with Bold Drug Policy Plan
Image courtesy CBC
Months before the provincial election, BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau made an unexpected move: leaving her safe seat in Cowichan Valley to challenge the New Democrats in Victoria-Beacon Hill. Furstenau, who lived in Victoria for two decades, defended her decision, citing the Greens' 30 percent vote base in the last election. "I had a much steeper climb in Cowichan than I do in Victoria-Beacon Hill," she told The Tyee, dismissing speculation that the move signals a retreat from politics. The riding, however, remains a tough challenge: in 2020, NDP cabinet minister Grace Lore secured 55 percent of the vote.
Since 1991, Victoria-Beacon Hill has consistently elected NDP MLAs in every provincial election, with one notable exception in 2001, when Liberal candidate Jeff Bray won the seat as part of Gordon Campbell’s historic sweep, claiming 77 of 79 seats across BC. The NDP regained the seat in 2005 and have held it ever since.
While the riding switch was surprising, Furstenau more recently raised eyebrows again with her aggressive stance on BC’s drug poisoning crisis. At a press conference Tuesday in Victoria, she unveiled a plan to expand access to regulated pharmaceutical alternatives—including safer supplies of fentanyl—and introduce a “demedicalized” model to make services more accessible. Furstenau slammed other parties' responses, accusing them of indulging in “dehumanizing rhetoric” rather than addressing the root causes of the public health emergency.
"We are losing parents, children, elders, and friends," Furstenau said, stressing the need for immediate action.
"People cannot seek treatment or recovery if they are not alive."
The Greens' plan calls for expanding safer supply programs and Opioid Agonist Treatment, alongside a provincial database to track treatment outcomes and service availability. Furstenau also advocated for a non-prescriber model for safer drug access, developed in collaboration with health authorities and advocacy groups. The policy reflects recommendations from a 2023 Death Review Panel, which urged the government to explore safer supply options, though the idea was previously rejected by the current NDP government.
Former BC Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe, who joined Furstenau at the press conference, backed the plan, criticizing the lack of evidence-based treatment standards in the province.
"These heart-breaking losses will continue until we respond with an urgent, comprehensive plan that is grounded in evidence," Lapointe said.
She called the Greens’ proposal the only serious response to the drug crisis, emphasizing the need for a regulated drug supply to counter the dangerous and unpredictable illicit market.
The policy highlights a key divide between the Greens and other parties. Furstenau pointed out that occasional and recreational users are dying from toxic drugs as well as dependent users, arguing that the war on drugs has made the situation worse by driving up the potency and danger of street substances.
Fentanyl has been detected in the vast majority of BC’s illicit drug deaths, and the crisis is now the leading cause of unnatural death in the province.
On a larger scale, the Public Health Agency of Canada estimates a total of 32,632 opioid toxicity deaths occurred nationwide between January 2016 and June 2022—with the majority in BC, Alberta, and Ontario.
However, whether this policy will resonate with British Columbia’s voters is unclear. Furstenau’s apparent gambles—on both her riding switch and her aggressive platform on the drug crisis—could either propel the Greens forward or leave them without a seat in the legislature. With Adam Olsen not seeking re-election and the collapse of BC United fragmenting the political landscape, Furstenau’s effort to keep the Greens relevant looks like an uphill battle.
