Dan Mazier is backing Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre’s promise to crack down on those convicted in the trafficking, production, and distribution of fentanyl by imposing mandatory life sentences, should Conservatives form government after the next election.

“Fentanyl is destroying families across Canada. This deadly drug has seeped into our once safe, rural communities,” the Dauphin Swan River-Neepawa member of parliament said.

“Making and selling fentanyl is murdering our loved ones. It’s time we stop the criminals who are poisoning our streets and hold them accountable with the toughest penalties possible,” he added.

Under the plan, life sentences would be imposed on anyone caught trafficking, producing, or exporting over 40 mg of fentanyl. As well, a mandatory 15-year sentence for traffickers caught with between 20 mg and 40 mg of fentanyl was promised. According to data, 40 mg of fentanyl is enough to kill 20 people.

Since 2016, 49,000 Canadians have died of opioid overdoses – a 200 per cent increase. Mazier said that the rise of organized crime “superlabs” has turned Canada into a drug manufacturing hub, with fentanyl not only devastating our communities, but also being exported abroad.

According to the RCMP, last year federal investigators took down the largest, most sophisticated drug superlab in Canada with enough ingredients to produce 95 million lethal doses – enough to kill every Canadian twice.

Mazier criticized the current federal government for enabling the situation.

“Despite this crisis, the NDP-Liberal coalition weakened Canada’s drug laws, eliminating mandatory jail time for fentanyl production and trafficking through Bill C-5. Their failed drug legalization experiment has unleashed crime, chaos, and addiction, leaving families and communities to suffer the consequences.” Mazier said.

“I’m hearing so many traumatizing stories about the devasting impacts of drugs in our region. It breaks my heart knowing that families no longer feel safe raising their children in our beautiful communities.”

Mazier said moer than 80 per cent of accidental opioid deaths in Canada involve fentanyl.

“We can’t allow this rise in fentanyl production and distribution to continue. We will lock up the traffickers, crack down on production, and stop the flow of deadly drugs into our streets,” he said.

Mazier has also pledged to support the reversal of bills C-5 and C-75, which he says are responsible for the catch-and-release of repeat offenders.