Poilievre promises to sue big pharma for $44 billion over opioid crisis

 

Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre promised Tuesday to sue the big pharma companies for $44 billion if he becomes prime minister. The Official Opposition leader says that’s what big pharma owes Canadians for facilitating an opioid epidemic that stretches across Canada and the United States. 

Poilievre says that’s what the pharmaceutical companies owe Canadians in health care costs resulting from addiction and “misery.” The Conservative leader also pledged to become a plaintiff in a current class action suit against big pharma that British Columbia has filed that is seeking $4 billion in damages.

A Conservative government would seek “a separate federal lawsuit to go after non-health costs, like border security, prisons, Indigenous programming, etc.”

“A total of roughly $44-45 billion is what big pharma owes federal taxpayers and we're going to put that money towards recovery and treatment,” Poilievre said.

The B.C. class action suit is aimed at recovering costs that “resulted from wrongful conduct of opioid manufacturers, distributors, and their consultants,” according to the province that named Purdue Canada – maker of OxyContin – as just one of 40 companies targeted in the suit.

Poilievre said Tuesday that the B.C. legal action does not go far enough and a Conservative government would extend it much further. 

https://thepostmillennial.com/poilievre-promises-to-sue-big-pharma-for-44-billion-over-opioid-crisis