Niki Sharma, Attorney General, has released the following statement regarding the B.C. Supreme Court’s decision to certify British Columbia’s class-action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors:

“In 2018, British Columbia took the unprecedented step of launching a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all jurisdictions in Canada and enacted the Opioid Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act. Our goal was clear: to recover the health-care costs of treating opioid-related harms and to hold manufacturers and distributors accountable for their role in allegedly using deceptive marketing practices to drive sales, contributing to addiction and overdose rates in the country.

“Today, the B.C. Supreme Court’s decision to certify the litigation marks a significant milestone in our fight against opioid manufacturers and distributors. B.C. can now proceed, on behalf of federal, provincial and territorial governments, to recover the costs of treating opioid-related diseases that were allegedly caused by the industry’s wrongful conduct.

“This decision reaffirms our commitment to holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in the opioid crisis, which was declared as a public health emergency in 2016 and has devastated many lives and families.

“This is one of the many actions our government is taking to address the ongoing opioid crisis and to build a better system of care and support for those affected.

“We will keep on fighting for people in our province and all of Canada, because it is the right thing to do.”