Critical of MP's criticism

Open letter to Kelowna-Lake Country MP Tracy Gray

Re. Gray takes shots at Carney (Castanet, Feb. 13)

I am writing to express my deep disappointment with your recent statement regarding (Liberal party leadership candidate) Mark Carney’s visit to Kelowna.

Your response was not only misleading but also a shameful display of the same divisive rhetoric and name-calling that has become all too common from the Conservative party. Rather than addressing the urgent and devastating overdose crisis with real solutions, you chose to twist Carney’s words out of context, resort to partisan slogans and attack a political opponent while offering nothing substantive to help those struggling in our community.

It is disingenuous to claim Carney "downplayed" the crisis when, in reality, his comments reflected the complexity of the issue—something you refuse to acknowledge.

Framing the opioid crisis as a mere political weapon, while ignoring the scientific and evidence-based approaches that have been proven to save lives does nothing but harm the very people you claim to care about. Instead of addressing the root causes—such as housing insecurity, mental health services, and the poisoned drug supply—you continue to push for failed, outdated policies that exacerbate the crisis, including opposition to safer consumption sites.

What is truly an embarrassment is your continued reliance on hollow talking points, including the Conservative party’s absurd promise to jail small-time drug dealers for life. That is nothing more than political grandstanding, as such a policy would never stand up in court—just as jailing habitual drunk drivers for life would be a legal and logistical impossibility.

It’s a policy designed not to work, but to inflame outrage while ignoring real solutions. Over and over, experts, including law enforcement, healthcare professionals and community organizations (including Moms Stop the Harms), have stated a punitive approach will not solve this crisis.

Harm reduction saves lives. Safe supply saves lives. Your refusal to acknowledge those facts is not just negligent, it is deadly.

Your constant parroting of Conservative juvenile name-calling is also an embarrassment to your constituents and all Canadians.

We deserve leadership that is serious about tackling the overdose crisis with real solutions, not empty rhetoric and partisan attacks. Instead of trying to score political points, I urge you to listen to the experts, support policies based on evidence and show genuine compassion for those affected by this crisis.

Lives are at stake, and we need action, not more of the same tired Conservative talking points that do nothing but make the problem worse.

Wilbur Turner, Kelowna