By now, we’ve all seen the tents overtaking parks, alleyways, and sidewalks in cities across Canada. Encampments that were once rare sights are now multiplying — and along with them, addiction, violence, human trafficking, and senseless deaths. It’s heartbreaking. It’s infuriating. And according to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, it’s finally time to act.
At a campaign stop in Hamilton on April 23, Poilievre laid out a bold plan: give police clear, legal authority to dismantle illegal encampments and connect those living there to housing, addiction treatment, and mental health services. No more shrugging from politicians who claim their “hands are tied.” Under a Poilievre government, the Criminal Code would be amended to give law enforcement the power they need — and courts would be able to mandate help for those who need it most.
Frankly, it’s about time.
Since 2018, chronic homelessness in Canada has jumped by a staggering 38 percent. In Toronto alone, the number of encampments has more than doubled in just two years. Public spaces are being lost — not just to tents, but to the serious risks they now represent. For too long, compassion has been confused with negligence. Leaving vulnerable people to suffer, overdose, or die alone on the streets is not kindness. It’s cruelty.
Poilievre’s plan is refreshingly clear: restore order, while also offering a lifeline. Those endangering public safety by setting up camps would be charged. But, crucially, they wouldn’t just be tossed aside. Judges would have the power to connect them with housing, mental health care, and — where addiction is a factor — mandatory treatment. Regular drug testing for prisoners would help break the vicious cycle of addiction and reoffending.
This is not about criminalizing poverty, as critics will surely allege. It’s about recognizing that true dignity means safe streets and real pathways to recovery — not simply handing out clean needles and hoping for the best.
Poilievre’s broader platform is equally ambitious. He proposes life sentences for repeat fentanyl traffickers, a $44 billion lawsuit against “Big Pharma” to pay for addiction treatment, and the construction of 2.3 million new homes over five years to address the supply crisis fueling homelessness. He pledges to ban so-called “drug dens” near schools, parks, and seniors homes — common sense, frankly, that should never have been controversial.
Meanwhile, the Liberals continue to double down on their failed policies: promoting “safe supply” drug programs and modestly boosting enforcement efforts. It’s too little, too late — and it ignores the obvious: enabling drug use without treating its root causes only entrenches the problem.
Canada doesn’t need more platitudes. We need bold action. We need a leader willing to say that public parks should belong to the public again. That we don’t abandon our neighbors to die on sidewalks. That help isn’t a tent and a needle — it’s housing, treatment, and hope.
Poilievre’s message is simple, and it’s one many Canadians are desperate to hear: enough is enough. It’s time to restore order — and, just as importantly, to restore lives.
