Between Rights and Rhetoric: Assessing the Government of Canada’s Public Health Policy on Opioid Injection Drug Use (2015-2019)

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Until 2015 Canadian public health policy on opioids was criticized for being rhetorical, lacking clear definition, and falling foremost on the side of enforcement. This article examines how the 2015 election of a new federal government introduced an alternative approach to opioid injection drug use, framing opioids as public health and human rights issue within Canadian policy. This article assesses the government’s commitment to a human rights approach to opioids and problematizes ambiguities in its approach. It raises questions about the politicized nature of the government’s strategy and whether Canada’s response remains caught between rights and rhetoric.